Ore. judge being investigated for refusing to conduct same-sex marriages
A judge in Oregon is being investigated by a judicial fitness commission in part for vowing not to perform same-sex marriages.
Marion County Judge Vance Day says his religious beliefs prevent him from performing the ceremonies, according to The Associated Press.
“He made a decision nearly a year ago to stop doing weddings altogether, and principle factor that he weighed was the pressure that one would face to perform a same-sex wedding, which he had a conflict with his religious beliefs,” Day’s spokesman Patrick Korten said Friday.
{mosads}Day reportedly began referring same-sex couples to other judges for their weddings following a federal court’s ruling in May 2014 that the practice is legal in Oregon.
The Oregon Government Ethics Commission approved Davis’ request on Thursday for creating a legal defense fund.
Day, a former chairman of the Oregon Republican Party, was appointed to his seat in 2011 by then-Gov. John Kitzhaber (D).
The investigation into Day’s conduct comes amid heightened scrutiny of public officials over same-sex marriage nationwide.
Reports emerged Friday that the Rowan County, Ky., clerks’ office has begun issuing same-sex marriage licenses following a standoff over the issue.
County Clerk Kim Davis was taken into federal custody Thursday and held in contempt of court after repeatedly refusing to license the practice.
The clerk’s refusal comes after the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Obergefell v. Hodges earlier this summer recognizing the practice of same-sex marriage across all 50 states nationwide last June.
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