同性婚姻與宗教自由保障的衝突及調和──Obergefell v. Hodges和Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission之啟示

The Conflict and Reconciliation between Same-sex Marriage and Religious Liberty： The Inspiration of Obergefell v. Hodges and Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission

本文旨在分析美國聯邦最高法院Obergefell v. Hodges案和Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission案，探討同性婚姻與宗教自由之間的衝突與調和。此問題的爭議在於，憲法未列舉權之解釋與傳統宗教信仰對於權利理解間的相關性和衝突性。在憲法要求下，如何衡平這些基本價值？國家利益（保護同性婚姻）是否可與個人真誠的宗教相權衡？本文第一部分是分析Obergefell案的多數意見和不同意見，尤其是大法官們對於「自由」的涵義。第二部分將介紹各州的禁止性傾向歧視法律，以及基本權衝突的情況。婚姻概念的改變可能會導致什麼樣的宗教自由衝突？在法律上，哪些領域會產生紛爭？在本文的肆、和伍、中，將會介紹Masterpiece Cakeshop案中多數意見和協同意見，試圖分析同性婚姻與宗教自由之間衝突的原因。本文的結論是，憲法保障同性伴侶可以行使婚姻權時，國家必須給予同性伴侶與他人同等的條件來行使其自由權，但在特定情況下，例如Masterpiece Cakeshop案，本文認為私人可以在自由行使條款保障之下，基於其真摯的宗教信仰而拒絕服務於同性伴侶。

This article intends to analyze Obergefell v. Hodges and Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission to explore the conflict and reconciliation between same-sex marriage and religious liberty. The controversial points of this issue include the relevance and conflict of constitutional unenumerated rights interpretations and the traditional understanding of religious rights. How should these fundamental values be balanced under constitutional qualifications? Can the state’s interest in protecting the rights of same-sex marriage be weighed against people’s sincerely held religious beliefs? To answer these questions, this article will first analyze the majority opinion and dissenting opinion of Obergefell, focusing on the definition of “freedom.” The second part will be introducing different state’s sexual orientation non-discrimination laws and circumstances in which people’s fundamental rights clash. To be more specific, the article aims to explore potential conflicts in the field of law as the concept of marriage develops. In part three and four, the article will focus on Masterpiece Cakeshop, analyzing the reasons behind the conflict of same-sex marriage and religious liberty. This article then concludes that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right. Nevertheless, as equal protection of the right to marry should be safeguarded, religious beliefs are still protected under the Free Exercise Clause in particular cases such as Masterpiece Cakeshop, therefore allowing people to refuse to provide services to same-sex couples.