00:00:00.000Hey, welcome to the program. We've got just a boatload of stuff that we covered today that I think you're going to like and really kind of put some things into perspective.
00:00:13.020Then we've talked to a couple of people that are fighting back. Can you believe the Masterpiece Cake guy is back in court again?
00:00:21.920He has been fighting the battle of, I won't make that cake for you, but I want Satan on the cake. I'm not going to make it.
00:00:33.640He's back in front of a court again. Ten years of his life, just gone.
00:00:42.180Also, we talk a little bit about what's happening with Ron DeSantis and Disney, and this could be bad for Ron DeSantis, and we explain.
00:00:49.720We also touch base on the shooting of April 15th of this year, one of the worst shootings in American history.
00:00:59.140Four people killed, they're all teenagers, four of them killed, 32 injured, four of those critical.
00:17:02.240Well, we're grateful to have ADF there beside us through this whole thing.
00:17:07.040But I just want to make it clear that the people that are suing me, I welcome in my shop.
00:17:11.400I welcome everybody who comes into my shop at Masterpiece Cake Shop, but I just can't express every message that people ask us to create with our custom cakes.
00:17:19.140And that was the case over 10 years ago now when two men came in and asked me to create a cake to celebrate their wedding.
00:17:27.300And it was a view of a wedding that goes against my beliefs for what weddings are.
00:17:31.960And so I told them, you know, I'll sell you other cakes, other custom cakes, sell you anything in my shop, cookies, brownies, but I just can't create a cake for a same-sex wedding that goes against my faith.
00:17:42.540And they stormed out of my shop, swearing at me, flipping me off, went to the state, filed a complaint.
00:17:49.980And that case ended up at the U.S. Supreme Court, like you know, and we won 7-2.
00:17:54.300The day that the court granted our case so, an attorney here in Colorado called us up and asked us to create a cake that was blue on the outside and pink on the inside.
00:18:05.080And then we were informed that those colors were symbolic of changing gender, changing from a man to a woman.
00:18:11.120So we told this attorney that we would be glad to serve other custom cakes, create other custom cakes, serve them in any way that we would serve anybody else.
00:18:18.180But the cake expressed a message that I didn't want to create.
00:18:22.560And so that person sued us through the state that went forward and then I was dismissed.
00:18:27.260And now we're in the same lawsuit with the same person in a civil case.
00:19:11.040And it is for every American because free speech is for everyone.
00:19:15.200And we're hoping that this court will overturn it.
00:19:17.900But again, like I said, with ADF backing this up and knowing that we have the best legal team that you could possibly have in a situation like this is is reassuring.
00:19:28.300So let me go to Matt, Matt, tell me what this case is, is looking at, why it went civil and why you're having a hard time or he had a hard time before you guys came on board.
00:19:42.360Yeah, well, as you mentioned earlier, you know, the Supreme Court ruled for Jack, but focused on the hostility that Colorado was showing to Jack, where it was comparing his beliefs about marriage to being no different than those of Nazis and those responsible for the Holocaust.
00:19:59.140And so the Supreme Court didn't get to that core question of, can Colorado force artists like Jack to speak a message to support a cause or idea that violates their belief?
00:20:10.720And that's what we're fighting for now is we want that definitive ruling to say that the Constitution clearly protects the speech of every American and including artists like Jack.
00:20:20.440Isn't that what the first Supreme Court decision said?
00:20:23.040No, they didn't go all the way there. They just focused on that hostility and sort of, you know, save the bigger question for another day.
00:20:30.940And so we're litigating it now on Jack. We've got another case, Lori Smith of 303 Creative.
00:20:36.040It's at the U.S. Supreme Court challenging the same Colorado law.
00:20:39.540So we're hopeful that we are going to get that ruling that's going to put an end once and for all to these vexatious challenges against Jack and allow him to go back to doing what he loves to do.
00:20:49.960I go back to, you know, I think 10 years have been stolen. Stolen? Stole? That's a word. That's probably the right word, right?
00:20:59.940It's also a bread, so we should ask Jack about it.
00:21:03.280But I just think, you know, there's at some point should be a penalty for people who are intentionally trying to destroy someone's life just to make a point.
00:21:19.140Yeah, and especially with this case, I mean, the person doing this, this activist attorney admitted that if this case was thrown out, come back in the next day and ask for another cake that they know Jack could not do because of his beliefs.
00:21:33.300And we're bringing that point out. We're raising awareness that this was a setup, that this was an effort to try and punish and harass Jack because of his beliefs, and we're not going to stand for it.
00:21:42.360Yeah, can you counter-sue it all? I mean, this is harassment. This is harassment.
00:21:50.180Yeah, well, that's why we're hopeful that the Colorado Supreme Court is going to shut this down once and for all and make sure that these types of claims can't be brought anymore against Jack or others like him.
00:21:58.260And how is the – what's the makeup of the Colorado Supreme Court?
00:22:03.780Well, you know, we've been through this process before the first time around, and they didn't show willingness to stand for the Constitution and uphold Jack's free speech rights.
00:22:17.500But we're hopeful that they'll see what this delegation is doing to them and how this is being – like you said, the harassment and these laws are being misused to punish Jack and try and coerce him because of his beliefs.
00:22:29.100And what happens if the Colorado courts turn you away and say, nope, we side with the – what is it, the plaintiff?
00:22:38.680We side with the guys who want the cake, and the Supreme Court just doesn't take his case. What happens to Jack then?
00:22:46.160You know, it could be ruinous for them. It could have severe impacts, but this is where we're optimistic that if not the Colorado Supreme Court, then we are going to ask the U.S. Supreme Court.
00:22:58.660And we're hopeful that whether it's in Jack's case or Lori Smith's case, as I mentioned, that's pending there, that we are going to get the Supreme Court to reaffirm that you can't force Americans to speak messages to support causes that they disagree with.
00:23:10.860It's amazing. Matt, thank you for being there. ADF, you guys do so much. And if it wasn't for you, I mean, people are having a hard time finding attorneys now because the attorney firm will be hassled.
00:23:25.920And so that's just not worth the headache to stand up and defend the Bill of Rights. So thank you for everything you guys do.
00:23:32.760I will say to Jack, you know, I find it very difficult to come to a conclusion on this case without tasting these baked goods for myself.
00:23:39.880I don't know. I mean, I think it would only be fair if we got some baked goods from time to time from Jack, but no.
00:23:48.280He's like, you will purchase the baked goods. We will not send them to you.
00:23:53.680More important things than that, I suppose.
00:23:56.740Jack, sincerely, thank you for standing.
00:24:00.840God puts you in the right place at the right time. I'm kidding.
00:24:05.480Yeah, thanks for allowing us to share our story and hopefully encourage other people to do what's right.
00:24:12.000Because, like I said earlier, free speech is for everyone.
00:24:15.080These cases are not just about me and my cake shop. They're about every American.
00:28:49.940So, Conor, is this inconsistent with their dress code?
00:28:59.460You know, how can they file suit if there is a dress code that says you can't wear things that cause attention being brought to you or disruptive?
00:29:11.680So, the dress code provision that the school is relying on to ban these Let's Go Brandon hoodies says that you're not allowed to wear vulgar or profane clothing.
00:29:51.280When you filed suit with them, what did the school say?
00:29:55.040We have not heard anything from the school or the school district since we filed suit, other than that they acknowledged my email when I emailed the lawsuit to them.
00:30:13.720And did the parents reach out to the school first and try to get answers or some open minds on this?
00:30:22.700So, we have two students who are plaintiffs in our case, both of whom were ordered by the school district to remove Let's Go Brandon sweatshirts.
00:30:32.240And the ironic thing about all of this is this shouldn't have required a lawsuit.
00:30:36.980Last year, through attorneys, the parents wrote to the school district, set out the pertinent Supreme Court law and the First Amendment law and said,
00:30:45.800Hey, you have to allow these hoodies. They're protected by the First Amendment.
00:30:49.400Unfortunately, the school doubled down.
00:31:15.940And there, middle school students, like these kids, went to school and they wore black armbands to protest the Vietnam War.
00:31:22.640And the Supreme Court held that as long as the students aren't being disruptive, as long as they aren't disrupting lessons,
00:31:29.220kids have a First Amendment right to peacefully express their political views in school.
00:31:33.880And what schools can't do and what the school's doing here is playing favorites, allowing some students to express their political views, their social views,
00:31:43.580but stopping other students from expressing theirs.
00:31:46.300And it's really amazing to me that, you know, once you get into college, the entire system is trying to teach you to stand up and protest and disrupt.
00:31:58.340And it's now in our our middle schools and elementary schools as well.
00:32:04.020But here the schools are saying, no, no, no, you can't disrupt.
00:32:09.020You can't do that when everything on the left is all about chaos and disruption.
00:32:14.800So under the Supreme Court's precedent, as long as students aren't being disruptive, you're not allowed to stand up and start chanting protests in class.
00:32:24.460And that's the ironic thing about this case, Glenn, is that the school has never contended that these kids were being disruptive.
00:32:31.280They were going about their day, doing their schoolwork, going from class to class, and they just happened to be wearing a Let's Go Brandon hoodie.
00:32:38.780But the school singled them out and ordered them to remove their sweatshirts based on the political message that they wish to express.
00:32:45.680And that's where the Constitution gets involved.
00:32:47.700Talking to Connor Fitzpatrick, Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, you can find him at thefire.org.
00:32:55.360Connor, tell me, if you lose this case, what are the ramifications?
00:33:05.040And if you win this case, does it go further than just this school?
00:33:14.360If we do, I think there's a good chance we'll take it to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and higher if we need to.
00:33:20.000But the overall point of this case and the overall importance of the First Amendment in public schools is that we should be encouraging young people, not discouraging them.
00:33:30.320We should be encouraging them to engage in political expression, to talk about the issues with their friends.
00:33:36.440And if it causes a debate or an argument, so much for the better.
00:33:40.780You know, Glenn, we count on our schools to prepare our kids for real life.
00:33:45.360Schools should prepare kids for real life.
00:33:47.900Well, in real life, people are going to disagree with them.
00:33:50.860They're going to have neighbors and coworkers and even elected officials who don't think or talk or even pray the same way they do.
00:34:00.460So the earlier they start getting exposed to views that they disagree with and start having those discussions, that's what's going to prepare them for a productive life as an American citizen.
00:34:10.240And I have to tell you, there is no education without an honest search of all sides and without friction, you know, opposition in all things.
00:34:22.240There is opposition in all things, and it's necessary.
00:34:26.260And you will never sharpen a knife without the opposition of the stone.
00:34:31.540You will never educate your children unless they are occasionally offended.
00:34:37.540I mean, I think the best teachers are the ones that will take one side and really argue and push the kids up against the wall and then halfway through switch sides and argue hard the other way.
00:34:54.440That's the only way you are ever challenged to think for yourself.