Backed by the Christian Insitute, Ashers Bakery will try to take their case to the UK’s Supreme Court

After losing the initial court case last year and their appeal of that ruling in Northern Ireland’s Court of Appeal in October of this year, Ashers Bakery want to bring their case the the UK’s Supreme Court in London.

The Christian bakery’s legal team believe that the path to the UK’s Supreme Court may not be accessible to them, but are awaiting confirmation of this from Northern Ireland’s judges.

In the event that the Supreme Court route is blocked, they intend to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

Ashers Bakery have incurred legal fees of £200,000 to date but have been financially supported by The Christian Institute.

Simon Calvert, a spokesperson for The Christian Institute said: “Under the complex rules regarding appeals in civil cases, such as the Ashers case, the Court of Appeal decision seems to be final, according to the terms of the Judicature Act 1978.”

However, the legal team have asked the Court of Appeal “to consider giving a short ruling on the question of whether appeal to the United Kingdom Supreme Court is available.”

This decision to bring the appeal to the UK’s Supreme Court comes after the original ruling of the 2015 ‘gay cake’ court case upheld by the Court of Appeal last month.

Ashers Bakery refused to bake a cake with a pro same-sex marriage message on it on the grounds that it contradicted their religious views.

Media reactions to the Court of Appeal’s ruling have been mixed, with many decrying the precedent for infringement of freedom of speech that such a ruling presents.

Last year LGBT ally Patrick Stewart came out in support of Ashers Bakery.

The Ashers Bakery owners asked their supporters for prayers in the face of the Court of Appeal ruling.