Texas judge Dianne Hensley who lost bid to avoid performing same-sex marriages will take her case to state supreme court this week: Paid PD to STALK her gay brother

A Texas judge will take her battle over religious beliefs to the state Supreme Court this week after refusing to perform wedding ceremonies for same-sex couples.

Justice of the Peace Dianne Hensley was sanctioned by the Texas Commission on Judicial Misconduct in 2019 for conducting only marriages between opposite-sex couples.

Hensley filed a lawsuit over the sanction shortly after their public reprimand of her in 2019, arguing that the commission punished her because of her faith.

The commission said the judge has refused to perform same-sex marriages since August 2016, despite a 2015 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that guaranteed equal rights for those couples.

Hensley said her religious beliefs prevent her from performing same-sex marriages, even though she told the newspaper Dallas Morning News her older brother was gay.

After he had a falling out with their parents, “she hired a detective to track him down once a year and take a picture as a gift for their mother.” Hensley also said that gay people are more likely to suffer from sexually transmitted diseases than straight people.

In 2019, the Texas Commission on Judicial Misconduct warned Hensley that the justice of the piece has refused to perform same-sex marriages since August 2016.

‘My experience is that the better I follow the Bible, the better my life turns out. And this is quite fundamental. And I’m not going to go into it, but as an abstinence speaker, I’ve had to deal with a lot of the consequences of same-sex relationships,” she said.

Hensley told the Morning News that she believes gays “have a higher incidence of STDs.”

She is seeking damages and an injunction halting future disciplinary action against her related to her refusal to end same-sex marriages.

A state district judge dismissed the lawsuit in June 2021, and an appeals court affirmed that decision, sending it to the Texas Supreme Court.

The commission said Hensley “cast doubt on her ability to act impartially toward persons appearing before her as a judge because of the person’s sexual orientation.”

In her appeal to the Supreme Court Her lawyers wrote: “It may not be as fashionable to publicly denounce same-sex marriage as it once was, but that is no reason to question the impartiality of a judge who openly expresses the religious belief that marriage is only between one man may exist. and one woman.’

Hensley told the Dallas Morning News that same-sex marriage conflicts with her religious beliefs. She said her older brother was gay

Hensley’s office would refer same-sex couples to those who would officiate their weddings if they asked her to officiate theirs

First Liberty, an organization that represents Hensley, initially said it would stop performing weddings but wanted to find a way to continue while serving its entire community.

“Judge Hensley, like many other justices of the peace in Waco and around Texas, stopped performing weddings after the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage,” said First Freedom.

“She came up with an innovative solution that followed the law and allowed her to reconcile her religious beliefs while serving the needs of her community. And no one complained.’

First Liberty said: “But she has been punished for ensuring that anyone who wants to get married can get married.”

The judge has said her office would give same-sex couples a list of people who could officiate their weddings if they asked her to officiate theirs.

In April, people from across Texas rallied to protest a slew of anti-LGBTQ+ and drag laws. In June, Texas became the 17th state to ban gender-affirming care for teens

Jonathan Mitchell, the former attorney general of Texas who authored the “heartbeat” bill that led to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, represents Hensley

Hensley is also represented by Jonathan Mitchell, the former attorney general of Texas who wrote the “heartbeat” bill that led to the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

In a July shortHer lawyers argued that the Supreme Court’s ruling favored a Colorado Christian graphic designer who refused to set up a page celebrating same-sex marriage in support of Hensley’s ability not to perform same-sex marriages.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office has said they will not defend the state agency in the case.

Texas has passed a slew of anti-LGBTQ bills and drag laws. In June, the state became the 17th in the country to ban gender-affirming care for teens.