Texas AG Evades Gay Marriage Case For Beliefs

HOUSTON (AP) – The Texas attorney general is not defending a state agency being sued for punishing a judge who refuses to marry same-sex couples because the state’s actions conflict with his views of the Constitution. Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office is not representing the Texas Commission on Judicial Misconduct, which issued a warning to McLennan County Justice of the Peace Dianne Hensley last year. The Houston Chronicle reports that Paxton would have been expected to represent the commission as part of his charge to defend state agencies. Hensley, a Christian, argued she could continue officiating straight marriages and refer same-sex couples to others because it conflicts with her beliefs.