Public Advocate Defends Religious Liberty of Texas Judge Dianne Hensley
Public Advocate filed a brief in support of Texas Judge Dianne Hensley who wishes to perform traditional marriage ceremonies and not preside over homosexual unions.
Eugene Delgaudio president of Public Advocate says "This Judicial Commission ignores the Supreme Court's majority member Justice Kennedy who said in the Obergefell decision overturning traditonal marriage will not impact Christians in holding a belief in one man one woman marriage and we are attempting to keep this Judicial Commission to uphold that asserted religious liberty."
The Brief says in part:
"The State Commission on Judicial Conduct has formulated and applied a public policy hostile to all religious judges in this State who desire to perform weddings of opposite-sex couples while recusing from performing weddings for same-sex couples based on deeply held Bible-based or other religious beliefs that performing a same-sex wedding would be forbidden for them.
As a result of the unconstitutional religious test imposed by the Commission, all judges with traditional Bible-based beliefs against their participation in same-sex weddings are branded as bigots by the Commission. This false label of bigotry would apply to many judges and judicial candidates of Muslim or Orthodox Jewish beliefs in addition to Bible-based Christian beliefs..............."
And the brief states also:
"The truth is that Judge Hensley's recusal/referral approach to this complicated, contested social issue in no way demonstrates prejudice, but rather, it is the Commission's actions against her which demonstrate a shocking level of bigotry against not only Bible-believing Christians, but also those of other faith traditions who oppose same-sex marriage, including, inter alia, many Orthodox Jews and Muslims. Logically, it must be the Commission's view that only an atheist, an agnostic, a person associated with a church that has abandoned its historic traditional teachings, or a person whose faith in no way influences his behavior, are qualified to serve as a Judge in Texas."
CLICK HERE FOR A COPY OF THE PUBLIC ADVOCATE AMICUS BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF JUDGE HENSLEY
Photo Credit Facebook Campaign of Judge Hensley