Over the last several years, one of the more famous legal cases has been that of Masterpiece Cakeshop vs. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, the case of a baker deciding to not create a wedding cake for a gay couple on the grounds that doing so would infringe on both his freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Earlier this week, this case was heard by the Supreme Court, and their ruling was the top story of the day.

The Court, in a decisive 7-2 decision, ruled in favor of Masterpiece Cake Shop, either sparking celebration or outrage depending on which side of the political spectrum you call home. However, the way much of the media has been covering this case can only be described as misleading at best, and flat-out false at worst. Headlines from many different media outlets have gained traction on social media, claiming that Masterpiece Cakeshop won their case. This is true (in a sense), but headlines like that totally misrepresent the reality of what actually happened surrounding this case.

Okay, the first and most important thing that people are getting wrong about this case is this: The Supreme Court did NOT rule that it is legal to deny business to gay couples on the grounds of religious freedom. You may now be asking yourself "That doesn't make sense. The baker won the case, and that was the case that he was arguing for, so how can it be that he didn't win on those grounds?" I'm glad you asked, curious person I made up for the sake of making my point. See, it is entirely true that Masterpiece Cakeshop was arguing that they could legally deny service to gay couples based on their first amendment rights. The baker argued that since he was making the cake, and he owns the business, he should not be forced to do things that contradict his religious beliefs. It is also true that the gay couple denied the wedding cake sued the business on the grounds that they were being discriminated against, and such an act violated their fourteenth amendment rights. The thing is, though, that the Court more or less dismissed the case.

The Supreme Court ruled that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, in the process of litigation against the baker, did not maintain a neutral stance against religion and was therefore biased in its decisions and how it went about the legal battle that ensued. It was for this reason that Masterpiece Cakeshop won its case against the CCRC, not because the Supreme Court actually agreed with them, but because the baker was not treated fairly. This means that the ruling of this case in no way decides whether it is legal or illegal for a place of business to deny a customer service based on their religious belief. The debate has not been settled and is instead still just as decided as it was when this case was taken. Eventually, there will most likely be a case that will finally decide this debate once and for all, but that case is not this one.