Texas judge wants to use Supreme Court’s recent LGBTQ+ ruling to stop marrying gay couples
Queerty may remember Justice of the Peace Dianne Hensley of Waco, Texas.Hensley says she does not wish to marry same-sex couples as it goes against her religious beliefs.
She was issued with a warning in 2019 by the Texas judicial commission for directing same-sex couples to other officiants.Hensley’s now using the recent Supreme Court ruling on businesses refusing LGBTQ+ customers to back up her stance.Following her 2019 warning, Hensley—a devout Christian—filed a class-action lawsuit against the State Commission on Judicial Conduct.
The lawsuit sought to enable her, and other justices of the peace in Texas, to decline to marry same-sex couples. That lawsuit was tossed out in 2021.Officiating marriages is optional for justices of the peace in Texas.
Hensley could have followed the example set by some of her colleagues and simply stepped down from officiating weddings.However, conducting the ceremonies is lucrative.
