By CP Staff - Posted at The Christian Post:
Judges in the state of Texas who refuse to perform same-sex marriages based on their sincerely held religious beliefs will no longer face disciplinary action for doing so.The Texas Supreme Court amended its judicial code of conduct last week to explicitly protect judges in a ruling that stems from a lawsuit filed by McLennan County Justice of the Peace Dianne Hensley, who in 2019 refused to marry same-sex couples, stating it would be "inconsistent with her religious faith."
At the time, the State Commission on Judicial Conduct (SCJC) issued a public warning against her, arguing the refusal cast doubt on her "capacity to act impartially" as a judge. Hensley then stopped performing all weddings.
But on Oct. 24, the court approved adding a new comment to Canon 4 of the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct: "It is not a violation of these canons for a judge to publicly refrain from performing a wedding ceremony based upon a sincerely held religious belief." The change took effect immediately.