How cake case rose to the top tier of the legal system
May 2014
Gareth Lee, right, orders a cake from Ashers Bakery in Belfast with the slogan “Support Gay Marriage” for International Day Against Homophobia
May 2014
Two days after his order, the Christian owners of Ashers Bakery, Mr and Mrs Mcarthur, decline to make it due to the message. Mr Lee launches legal proceedings against the couple for discrimination
May 2015
Mr Lee wins his case against Daniel and Amy Mcarthur at a local county court, where a Belfast judge ruled that the bakery was not exempt from discrimination law
Oct 2016
The Mcarthurs contest the county court decision in Northern Ireland’s Court of Appeal and, once again, they lose
May 2018
The family take their case to the Supreme Court. Their lawyers argue that the state is compelling them to bake a cake bearing a message that they disagree with as a matter of religious conscience
Oct 2018
The Supreme Court unanimously overruled the previous decision that the Mcarthurs had discriminated against Mr Lee, awarding victory to the owners of Ashers Bakery