时代周刊:同性恋婚礼蛋糕案 最高法院审理案件绝非易事(1)

The Supreme¹ Court is No Cakewalk

最高法院审理案件绝非易事

By Katy Steinmetz

文/凯蒂·斯坦梅茨

Since same-sex marriage became the law of the land,

同性婚姻写入美国法律后，

the battle over LGBT rights has shifted from the altar to the cash register.

围绕LGBT权利的斗争便从神坛转向了日常生活。

As wedding vendors² have turned away same-sex couples for moral reasons,

由于婚庆公司出于道德原因拒绝了同性客户，

lawsuits³ have pitted the right to be served against the right to refuse.

诉讼的焦点便成了享受服务的权利和拒绝服务的权利的对峙。

The much watched case of Colorado baker⁴ Jack⁵ Phillips presented a chance for the Supreme Court

备受关注的科罗拉多州蛋糕店老板杰克·菲利普斯的案件就为最高法院提供了一个

to draw lines in a tangled⁶ debate about free speech, religious exercise and equal treatment in the public square.

给有关公共场合的言论自由、宗教仪式和平等待遇这一错综复杂的争论划清界限的机会。

But while the ruling came down on June 4, many potent⁷ legal questions remain unresolved.

然而，尽管最高法院于6月4日宣布了裁决结果，许多强有力的法律问题仍然未能得到解决。

The narrow decision arrived six years after a clash at Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, Colo.,

6年前，科罗拉多州莱克伍德的杰作蛋糕店内发生了一起冲突。

when Charlie Craig and David Mullins asked Phillips to make them a custom wedding cake and he declined,

原来，查理·克雷格和大卫·马林斯想让菲利普斯为他们做一个定制的婚礼蛋糕，菲利普斯拒绝了，

citing his religious opposition⁸ to same-sex marriages.

理由是他的宗教信仰反对同性婚姻。

When the couple filed a complaint under a state law that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation⁹,

二人便根据该州禁止基于性取向歧视他人的法律起诉了菲利普斯提，

Colorado agencies ruled in their favor.

科罗拉多州有关方面裁定二人胜诉。

In a 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court reversed course and sided with the baker—

最高法院则以7:2的投票结果扭转了科罗拉多州之前的裁定，站到了蛋糕店老板一方——

(in a 7-2 decision),

（投票结果为7:2），

but not because the state agencies necessarily came to the wrong conclusion.

但最高法院作出这一裁定并不代表科罗拉多州的裁决就一定是错的。

The key reason was that officials showed “elements of a clear and impermissible hostility” toward Phillips’ religious beliefs while considering the case,

关键原因在于，科罗拉多州的法官们在审理这一案件时对菲利普斯的宗教信仰表现出了“明显且不可容忍的敌意”，

Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the court’s majority opinion.

大法官安东尼·肯尼迪在最高法院的多数意见书中写道。

One piece of evidence the Justices pointed¹⁰ to was a commissioner¹¹ who “disparaged Phillips’ faith as despicable.”

这群法官援引的证据之中，有一条是某专员曾“贬低菲利普斯的信仰是低贱的信仰”。

The legal team representing the couple emphasized that while they may have lost,

代表这对同性恋的律师团队强调，虽然他们可能输掉了这个案子，

the other side did not get the broad win some conservatives hoped for:

对方也没有像一些保守人士希望看到的那样大胜特胜：

a blanket assurance that religious freedom trumps¹² antidiscrimination measures.

全盘保证宗教自由压倒了反歧视措施。

On a conference call, American Civil Liberties Union attorney James Esseks highlighted language that acknowledged the civil rights of gay Americans.

美国公民自由联盟律师詹姆斯·埃塞克斯在一次电话会议上强调了承认美国同性恋的民事权利的重要性。

“Our society has come to the recognition that gay persons and gay couples

“我们的社会已经认识到，同性恋者和同性恋伴侣

cannot be treated as social outcasts or as inferior in dignity and worth,” Kennedy wrote,

不应被社会抛弃，也不应受到尊严和价值上低人一等的待遇，”（最高法院大法官）肯尼迪写道，

adding that business owners cannot be allowed to “in effect”

他还补充说，不能允许企业主张贴实际内涵为

put up signs saying that “no goods or services will be sold if they will be used for gay marriages.”

“如果商品或服务将被用于同性婚姻，则一概免谈”的标志。

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

2 vendors   

n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方

参考例句：

• The vendors were gazundered at the last minute. 卖主在最后一刻被要求降低房价。
• At the same time, interface standards also benefIt'software vendors. 同时，界面标准也有利于软件开发商。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

3 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

4 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

5 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

6 tangled   

adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Your hair's so tangled that I can't comb it. 你的头发太乱了，我梳不动。
• A movement caught his eye in the tangled undergrowth. 乱灌木丛里的晃动引起了他的注意。

7 potent   

adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的

参考例句：

• The medicine had a potent effect on your disease.这药物对你的病疗效很大。
• We must account of his potent influence.我们必须考虑他的强有力的影响。

8 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

9 orientation   

n.方向，目标；熟悉，适应，情况介绍

参考例句：

• Children need some orientation when they go to school.小孩子上学时需要适应。
• The traveller found his orientation with the aid of a good map.旅行者借助一幅好地图得知自己的方向。

10 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

11 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

12 trumps   

abbr.trumpets 喇叭；小号；喇叭形状的东西；喇叭筒v.（牌戏）出王牌赢（一牌或一墩）( trump的过去式 )；吹号公告，吹号庆祝；吹喇叭；捏造

参考例句：

• On the day of the match the team turned up trumps. 比赛那天该队出乎意料地获得胜利。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Every time John is late getting home he trumps up some new excuse. 每次约翰晚回家都会编造个新借口。 来自《简明英汉词典》