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U.S. court takes up dispute of baker who refused to make cake for gay couple

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Jack Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cake, speaks to supporters after a rally on the campus of a Christian college in Lakewood, Colo. on Nov. 8, 2017. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court is taking up the highly anticipated case of the Colorado baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple.

Tuesday's clash at the high court pits baker Jack Phillips' First Amendment claims of artistic freedom against the anti-discrimination arguments of the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, and two men Phillips turned away in 2012.

The commission ruled that Phillips violated the state's anti-discrimination law when he refused to make a wedding cake for Charlie Craig and David Mullins.

The argument is the first involving gay rights since the Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that states could not prevent same-sex couples from marrying.

The Trump administration is supporting Phillips in his argument that he can't be forced to create a cake that violates his religious beliefs.