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Judge Who Declined to Perform Lesbian Wedding Must Resign, Says Gay Advocate
Aletelia ^
| July 11, 2015
| JOHN BURGER
Posted on 07/10/2015 2:59:29 PM PDT by NYer
It's a judge's duty to preside at the marriages of any couple that comes to himheterosexual or homosexualand if he is unwilling to do so, he "needs to step down.
That is the view of the
executive director of the LGBT rights group Equality Toledo,
Nick Komives, reacting to news of a Toledo, Ohio, judge who excused himself from the civil marriage ceremony of two lesbians.
They didnt deserve to be humiliated; they didnt deserve to be inconvenienced, Komives told the Toledo Blade. Thats just wrong, and we wont tolerate it. It is his duty to perform this ceremony, and if hes not willing to perform his duties, he needs to step down.
Judge C. Allen McConnell declined to officiate at the wedding of two women Monday. He has apologized to the couple for a 45-minute delay, explaining that his personal and Christian beliefs compelled him to ask that another judge step in. McConnell said he was waiting for guidance from the Ohio Supreme Court on whether he may be excused from a rotation of judges handling matrimonial duties at Toledo Municipal Court, but was willing to continue to perform traditional marriages, according to the
Daily Signal.
McConnell is far from alone in finding himself in a dilemma now that the Supreme Court has ordered all 50 states to allow same-sex "marriage." A county clerk in Kentucky said that nearly half of the county clerks in the state have asked Gov. Steve Beshear to call a special session of the legislature to address the issue of marriage licenses in the wake of the
Obergefell decision,
WSAZ3 reported July 8:
Lawrence County Clerk Chris Jobe says a letter sent Wednesday by 57 clerks to Beshear explains that they face a conflict between their religious beliefs and job duties following the U.S. Supreme Court's June 26 ruling.
On Tuesday, House Speaker Greg Stumbo asked Beshear to call lawmakers back into session over the issue. But Beshear said there was no need for lawmakers to consider an issue the Supreme Court has settled.
The American Civil Liberties Union has sued Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis after she refused marriage licenses to two gay couples and two straight couples.
In Tennessee, three officers in the Decatur County Clerk's Office resigned from their positions because of their opposition to the high court's June 26 decision.
According to Decatur County Commissioner David Boroughs, County Clerk Gwen Pope and employees Sharon Bell and Mickey Butler have all resigned because of religious opposition to the ruling,
The Jackson Sun reported July 1.
"That's a personal individual decision, but I strongly support them if their faith is that strong," Boroughs said. "I'm proud of them that their faith is so strong and well-rounded that they feel they can do that."
There is no reason why such judges or clerks should have to resign, Ken Connelly, legal counsel for the group Alliance Defending Freedom, told
Catholic News Agency. Connelly said clerks could cite First Amendment protections of the free exercise of religion and of speech. And every states Constitution must contain protections similar to those in the First Amendment.
It's a judge's duty to preside at the marriages of any couple that comes to himheterosexual or homosexualand if he is unwilling to do so, he "needs to step down.
That is the view of the
executive director of the LGBT rights group Equality Toledo,
Nick Komives, reacting to news of a Toledo, Ohio, judge who excused himself from the civil marriage ceremony of two lesbians.
They didnt deserve to be humiliated; they didnt deserve to be inconvenienced, Komives told the Toledo Blade. Thats just wrong, and we wont tolerate it. It is his duty to perform this ceremony, and if hes not willing to perform his duties, he needs to step down.
Judge C. Allen McConnell declined to officiate at the wedding of two women Monday. He has apologized to the couple for a 45-minute delay, explaining that his personal and Christian beliefs compelled him to ask that another judge step in. McConnell said he was waiting for guidance from the Ohio Supreme Court on whether he may be excused from a rotation of judges handling matrimonial duties at Toledo Municipal Court, but was willing to continue to perform traditional marriages, according to the
Daily Signal.
McConnell is far from alone in finding himself in a dilemma now that the Supreme Court has ordered all 50 states to allow same-sex "marriage." A county clerk in Kentucky said that nearly half of the county clerks in the state have asked Gov. Steve Beshear to call a special session of the legislature to address the issue of marriage licenses in the wake of the
Obergefell decision,
WSAZ3 reported July 8:
Lawrence County Clerk Chris Jobe says a letter sent Wednesday by 57 clerks to Beshear explains that they face a conflict between their religious beliefs and job duties following the U.S. Supreme Court's June 26 ruling.
On Tuesday, House Speaker Greg Stumbo asked Beshear to call lawmakers back into session over the issue. But Beshear said there was no need for lawmakers to consider an issue the Supreme Court has settled.
The American Civil Liberties Union has sued Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis after she refused marriage licenses to two gay couples and two straight couples.
In Tennessee, three officers in the Decatur County Clerk's Office resigned from their positions because of their opposition to the high court's June 26 decision.
According to Decatur County Commissioner David Boroughs, County Clerk Gwen Pope and employees Sharon Bell and Mickey Butler have all resigned because of religious opposition to the ruling,
The Jackson Sun reported July 1.
"That's a personal individual decision, but I strongly support them if their faith is that strong," Boroughs said. "I'm proud of them that their faith is so strong and well-rounded that they feel they can do that."
There is no reason why such judges or clerks should have to resign, Ken Connelly, legal counsel for the group Alliance Defending Freedom, told
Catholic News Agency. Connelly said clerks could cite First Amendment protections of the free exercise of religion and of speech. And every states Constitution must contain protections similar to those in the First Amendment.
TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: aletelia; glbt; homosexualagenda; johnburger; judge; marriage
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To: NYer
Do they say that government officials who refuse to enforce legitimate federal immigration laws should resign? I thought not. Why should those state officials who follow their state’s legislation and refuse to follow illegitimate decrees from the Supreme Court resign?
21
posted on
07/10/2015 3:34:01 PM PDT
by
Pollster1
("Shall not be infringed" is unambiguous.)
To: NYer
They didnt deserve to be humiliated; they didnt deserve to be inconvenienced, Komives told the Toledo Blade.
Yes they did, as does anyone who demands that their vice be called a virtue.
22
posted on
07/10/2015 3:41:25 PM PDT
by
TalBlack
(Evil doesn't have a day job...)
To: NYer
23
posted on
07/10/2015 4:07:38 PM PDT
by
Tenlein
To: NYer
you would think there would 10’s of thousands of same sex wedding going on right now ,LOL
24
posted on
07/10/2015 4:13:07 PM PDT
by
molson209
(Blank)
To: NYer
The undesirables must be identified and removed. They stink and are a blot on our progressive society. But, lets do it legally. Then in the name of law, we can mark them, shut down their businesses, force them out of work, pack them up and ship them off to the camps so we dont have to see them, and where work will set them free.
They dont exist. What happens to them in the camps is irrelevant; as long as our progressive brave new world does not have to see them or acknowledge their existence or non-existence.
25
posted on
07/10/2015 4:16:37 PM PDT
by
ForYourChildren
(Christian Education [ RomanRoadsMedia.com - Classical Christian Approach to Homeschool ])
To: NYer
Earth to “gay advocate”.
Shove it up your smelly Obamahole.
You should already have directions.
To: NYer
Gay advocate needs to consult God and the Good News of Genesis 1.
27
posted on
07/10/2015 4:25:18 PM PDT
by
Salvation
("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
To: Ancesthntr
The person deferred to someone else who would. Isn’t that good enough? I am serious. There was someone who would, and since he referred, they got their license. But merely thinking wrong means you don’t deserve to live, apparently.
To: NYer
Homosexuals, who have railed about intolerance regarding their views, now bully the convictions of others. Nice.
29
posted on
07/10/2015 4:49:44 PM PDT
by
mom.mom
To: NYer
30
posted on
07/10/2015 4:54:13 PM PDT
by
castlebrew
(Gun Control means hitting where you're aiming!))
To: TalBlack
Sixty percent see it as a the “new virtue”; only a handful still cling to “vice”.
31
posted on
07/10/2015 5:21:34 PM PDT
by
Theodore R.
(Liberals keep winning; so the American people must now be all-liberal all the time.)
To: glennaro
The word “lesbian” fits, but “gay” does not. We need to take the word “gay” back from them and use it the way it should be used. There are people with the surname “Gay”. Why should they undergo the humiliation of having their family name slurred by the perverts and their pals? There’s a town in Georgia named “Gay”. Why should its residents be hesitant to tell people where they’re from?
32
posted on
07/10/2015 5:34:04 PM PDT
by
liberalism is suicide
(Communism,fascism-no matter how you slice socialism, its still baloney)
To: stylin19a
just shoot me. Patience, they're working on it.
33
posted on
07/10/2015 7:11:18 PM PDT
by
Talisker
(One who commands, must obey.)
To: NYer
Ironic. That elected judge loses his position because of non-elected judges making laws rather than interpreting them. Checks and balances have fallen apart. Welcome to the new regime.
34
posted on
07/10/2015 9:09:05 PM PDT
by
Grateful2God
(Those who smile like nothing's wrong are fighting a battle you know nothing about. -Thomas More)
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