Afternoon Briefs: Christian baker faces trial in new bias case; city approves housing reparations
Jack Phillips of Masterpiece Cakeshop. Photo from the Associated Press.
Christian baker faces new bias case
A Christian baker is facing a new bias claim after persuading the U.S. Supreme Court that a Colorado agency showed impermissible hostility to his religious reasons for refusing to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding. The baker, Jack Phillips of Masterpiece Cakeshop, is defending his decision to refuse to prepare a cake celebrating a transgender transition in a trial that began Monday. The plaintiff, Autumn Scardina, alleges that Phillips violated Colorado anti-bias law and engaged in deceptive trade practices. Phillips’ lawyer, Sean Gates, said in opening statements Phillips “will make cakes for all people, but he cannot make cakes for all messages.” (Courthouse News Service and the Associated Press via How Appealing, Scardina’s lawsuit)
Chicago suburb approves first reparation expenditures
The Chicago suburban of Evanston, Illinois, the nation’s first city to approve a reparations program, will make its first payouts in the form of housing grants. The city council approved the $400,000 grant program Monday. It will provide grants of up to $25,000 to make a down payment on a home, pay for property repairs or pay down a mortgage. Applicants must have Black or African origins to qualify. They also must have been Evanston residents between 1919 and 1969, must be direct descendants of such people, or must have suffered housing discrimination because of city policies and practices after 1969. The city plans to pay for the program with a marijuana sales tax. (The Chicago Tribune, the Washington Post)
Goldman Sachs’ general counsel earned over $9M last year
Karen Seymour, Goldman Sachs’ general counsel, earned more than $9 million in total compensation last year, according to a proxy statement cited by Bloomberg Law. Seymour is leaving Goldman Sachs to rejoin Sullivan & Cromwell in New York, where she had been a partner prior to joining Goldman Sachs in 2018. (Bloomberg Law)
