Assignemnt

Below you will find three articles that address Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, a pending case before the Supreme Court of the United States involving First Amendment rights of free speech and free exercise of religion in light of public accommodation laws-in particular, by refusing to provide creative services, such as a custom wedding cake for same-sex marriage ceremonies, on the basis of one's religious beliefs. The Court took oral arguments on December 5, 2017, with a decision likely to be made by the end of the court's October 2017 term at the end of June 2018.

The articles offer three different analyses of the court case. The authors include:

• Travis Weber, Director of the Center for Religious Liberty at Family Research Council (in support of the defendant)

• Margaret M. Russell, a member of the Santa Clara University School of Law faculty and affiliated with its Center for Social Justice & Public Service (in support of the plaintiff)

• Andrew Michael Sullivan, "an English-born American author, editor, and blogger. Sullivan is a conservative political commentator, a former editor of The New Republic, and a pioneer of the political blog, starting his in 2000. Sullivan'sconservatism is rooted in his Roman Catholic background. He has lived in theUnited States since 1984 and currently resides in Washington, D.C., andProvincetown, Massachusetts. He is openly gay and a practicing Roman Catholic." (a somewhere inbetween point-of-view)

Read the articles.

• Identify the central argument each author is making.
• Determine with whom, if any of the three, you agree.
• Why do you say that?

Essay 1 Prompt - Format

Create a five-paragraph compare/contrast essay reflecting your analysis of the articles.

• Use the document titled WRITING A COMPARE/CONTRAST ESSAY at ESSAY RESOURCES to help you organize your essay.
• A five-paragraph essay consists of:

o an introductory paragraph
o three evidentiary body paragraphs
o a conclusion

• Your body paragraphs should clearly identify what you believe to be each author's central argument.

• Your conclusion should summarize and communicate in third person your own thoughts about the case.

• Your essay should be formatted in accordance with MLA style standards (e.g., spacing, header on first page, page numbers in upper right corner).

• Basic information about writing essays may be found at Purdue Online Writing Lab/Expository Essays.

Articles:

1. LGBT advocates seek to scuttle a vital Constitutional right By Travis Weber.
2. Point: It's not about baking a cake, it's about serving the public by Margaret M. Russell.
3. The Case for the Baker in the Gay-Wedding Culture War By Andrew Sullivan.