To get back to the root of the issue, the Civil Rights Commission's decision was only reversed because the majority believed they had demonstrated hostility towards Philips's religious beliefs. The majority actually affirmed the constitutionality of the statute he was originally sued under, and the general constitutionality of anti-discrimination laws that protect gay people. Justice Kennedy explicitly said that the First Amendment does not protect a right to discriminate against protected classes under public accomodations law.