Texas Supreme Court Rules Judges Can Refuse To Perform Same-Sex Marriages

The Texas Supreme Court has issued a ruling that some say could have major a major impact moving forward.

Judges in Texas can now refuse to perform same-sex marriages after the Texas Supreme Court ruled this past Friday. The ruling comes after a years-long battle over one Texas judge's desire for a religious exemption.

Texas Judges Can Now Refuse To Perform LGBT Marriages

According to FOX4News in Dallas, the ruling amended Canon 4 of the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct and was signed on October 24. This doesn't mean that gay marriages are now longer allowed in Texas or that they won't be performed. The comment reads this way:

"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."

In other words, if a judge has a deeply held religious view that doesn't agree with performing a gay marriage, then they don't have to perform the ceremony.

Debate Over Judges and Gay Marriage Dates Back to 2019

In 2019, McLennan County Justice of the Peace Dianne Hensley was admonished for refusing to perform a same sex marriage. She continued ceremonies on heterosexual couples. According to FOX4, Hensley said her "Bible-believing" Christian conscience prevented her from keeping with the Texas code of conduct.

The warning, the second-highest of six disciplinary measures used by the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct, said Hensley was "casting doubt on her capacity to act impartially to persons appearing before her as a judge due to the person’s sexual orientation."

The admonishment has been withdrawn according to the report.