Bill Metzger, a Republican justice of the peace in Dallas County, Texas, took to Facebook yesterday, stating that he will ‘only be conducting traditional marriages’.
In his post, he referred to an opinion issued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, which claims that ‘Justices of the peace retain religious freedoms, and may claim that the government cannot force them to conduct same-sex wedding ceremonies over their religious objections.’ Metzger claims that because of this opinion, it is ‘not true for someone to say they are required by law to conduct a non-traditional wedding’.
According to Metzger, this opinion also ‘came as a result of a request from Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick’.
However, within the same state of Texas, Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan has a different view. Addressing the same issue, he concluded that even though a judge or justice of the peace is under no obligation to perform a marriage, ‘once the judge elects to undertake the performance of marriages, the service must be offered to all (including same-sex couples) in a non-discriminatory manner’.
CEO of Resource Center, Texas’s largest LGBT community center based in Dallas, Cece Cox, agrees with Ryan.
“If he chooses not to marry a gay couple, he’ll be in violation of the law,” Cox told WFAA-TV.
Retired Dallas County District Judge John Creuzot is also on the side of Cox and Ryan.
‘He’s (referring to Metzger) not on solid legal footing, either by the laws of the state of Texas, or the Constitution,’ said Creuzot.
He added: ‘It’s a bad signal to be a judge, even if it is a justice of the peace, and then make an independent decision that you’re going to follow the law for some folks and not for others.’
Whats clear here, is that this judge has just openly confessed he is incapable of being a judge.
Judges have to maintain a level of impartiality, by stating his belief in Christianity forbids him executing the duties of his office, clearly shows he is biased and unfit to be one.
.
No comments:
Post a Comment