A Christian judge in Washington was
recently reprimanded by the state Judicial Conduct Commission for refusing to
officiate same-sex 'weddings.'
Thurston County Superior Court Judge
Gary Tabor had made met with court employees following last year's election,
which legalized the practice in Washington, and informed his colleagues that he
did not feel comfortable with performing homosexual ceremonies.
An attendee of the meeting leaked
Tabor's comments to reporters, who in turned contacted the judge for further
explanation.
Tabor reiterated that he did not
wish to participate due to "philosophical and religious reasons," and
advised that his decision was a personal conviction and not the official
position of the court.
He stated that he believed that as
long as other judges were in place to officiate the ceremonies, that he could
choose to decline.
Judges are not required to perform weddings, but should they
choose to avail their services to the public, Washington state bars justices
from turning away homosexuals.
Due to continued scrutiny over the
matter, Tabor soon decided to decline requests to officiate ceremonies of any
kind and get out of the marriage business altogether.
Source
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