A judge in Texas is suing a state commission because he wants to be able to refuse to marry same-sex couples. Jack County District Judge Brian Umphress sued all 13 of the members of Texas’s Commission on Judicial Conduct because they gave another judge an “official warning” for refusing to marry same-sex couples. Umphress argues that being forced to marry same-sex couples violates his First Amendment rights to free speech and freedom of religion. Related: Kim Davis may have to pay thousands to the couples she wouldn’t give a marriage license Umphress’s federal lawsuit stems from a case from late last year involving McLennan County Justice of the Peace Dianne Hensley (R) . Since the Supreme Court legalized marriage equality across the U.S. in its 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision, she has been refusing to perform marriages for same-sex couples even though she still performs them for opposite-sex couples, arguing that same-sex marriages “offend” God. Since 2016, same-sex couples that ask her to officiate their wedding got a notice telling them that she “has a sincerely held religious belief as a Christian, and will not be able to perform any same-sex weddings.” In Waco, Texas, where she’s based, she […]
