{"id":2618783,"date":"2026-06-24T22:37:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T02:37:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/christian-judge-who-refused-to-perform-gay-weddings-vindicated-in-big-court-ruling\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T22:40:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T02:40:09","slug":"christian-judge-who-refused-to-perform-gay-weddings-vindicated-in-big-court-ruling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/christian-judge-who-refused-to-perform-gay-weddings-vindicated-in-big-court-ruling\/","title":{"rendered":"Christian Judge Who Refused to Perform Gay Weddings &#8216;Vindicated&#8217; in Big Court Ruling"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fchristian-judge-who-refused-to-perform-gay-weddings-vindicated-in-big-court-ruling%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2618783&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/this-is-what-happened-the-last-time-israel-invaded-lebanon-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"This is what happened the last time Israel invaded Lebanon - Washington Examiner\">provided content discusses<\/a> a legal case involving Judge Dianne Hensley of Travis County, texas, centered around her refusal to perform same-sex weddings due to her Christian beliefs.The Texas District Court ordered the State Commission on Judicial Conduct (SCJC) to pay her $10,000 in damages and $630,000 in attorneys&#8217; fees,recognizing that her actions were protected by the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration act. Hensley had recused herself from performing such marriages but provided a referral list of willing officiants, which satisfied her religious conscience. Despite her adherence to the law, she was initially sanctioned, but the court&#8217;s ruling ultimately vindicated her stance. The case highlights the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/university-of-michigan-demands-1200-for-china-documents\/\" title=\"University of Michigan Demands ,200 for China Documents\">balancing act<\/a> between religious liberty and legal obligations and underscores Madison&#8217;s past principle that conscience rights shoudl take precedence, as reflected in his early draft of the Bill of Rights. Hensley has also filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the Supreme Court&#8217;s 2014 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >legalized gay marriage nationally<\/a>. The case exemplifies ongoing debates over religious freedom and legal rights in the context of marriage laws in Texas and the United States.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>The District Court of Travis County, Texas, would make one of the great Founding Fathers proud.<\/p>\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tennessee-restaurant-sues-biden-administration-over-white-males-pushed-to-the-back-of-the-line-for-pandemic-relief\/\" title=\"Tennessee Restaurant Sues Biden Administration Over White Males \u2018Pushed To The Back Of The Line\u2019 For Pandemic Relief\">conservative law firm<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/firstliberty.org\/media\/court-enters-final-judgment-in-favor-of-waco-judge-who-refused-to-perform-same-sex-weddings-awarding-10000-in-damages-and-630000-in-attorneys-fees\/#&#038;_intcmp=fnc_media_article_main-content_article-body_6_3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">First Liberty Institute<\/a>, and in a decision that honored one of James Madison\u2019s core principles, the court ruled that Texas\u2019 State Commission on Judicial Conduct (SCJC) owes $10,000 in compensatory damages and $630,000 in attorneys\u2019 fees for violating Judge Dianne Hensley\u2019s freedom of conscience under the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act.<\/p>\n<p>The ruling thus \u201cvindicated\u201d Hensley, a Christian who recused herself from performing same-sex weddings.<\/p>\n<p>Hiram Sasser, Executive General Counsel for First Liberty Institute, which represented Hensley, celebrated the ruling.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJudge Hensley always adhered to the law and the legal guidance provided by the Attorney General of Texas,\u201d Sasser said. \u201cWe are grateful that this case has concluded and that Judge Hensley was vindicated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In truth, Hensley behaved exactly as a Christian judge should.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, while recusing herself personally from performing same-sex weddings, Hensley nonetheless put together a referral list of local officiants who would perform such ceremonies.<\/p>\n<p>Still, that did not satisfy the SCJC, which sanctioned her by issuing a \u201cPublic Warning.\u201d Hensley then sued the SCJC and others for violating her freedom of conscience.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">A district court in Texas has awarded a substantial financial victory to a state judge who objected to performing same-sex weddings that would violate her Christian faith.<\/p>\n<p>Judge Dianne Hensley won a big financial award for attorney fees and damages in her lawsuit against the\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/CLgbgeLYAV\">pic.twitter.com\/CLgbgeLYAV<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 CBN News (@CBNNews) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CBNNews\/status\/2069510988391391494?\">June 23, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>According to the Texas-focused news outlet <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chron.com\/texas\/article\/texas-gay-marriage-lawsuit-22316713.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Chron<\/a>, the legal odyssey that began with the SCJC\u2019s public warning in 2019 made its way to the Texas Supreme Court, which, in 2024, ruled that the suit could go forward.<\/p>\n<p>In that 2024 opinion, Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock noted that no same-sex couples had complained about Hensley.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI find it encouraging that we have no indication any same-sex couple even considered handling the situation that way. What decent person would? Judge Hensley treated them respectfully,\u201d Blacklock wrote. \u201cThey got married nearby. They went about their lives. Judge Hensley went back to work, her Christian conscience clean, her knees bent only to her God. Sounds like a win-win.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Likewise, in a phone interview with Chron, Sasser extolled his client\u2019s behavior.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe was modeling the way religious liberty works in this country, which is that we\u2019re not going to make people do stuff that violates their religious beliefs,\u201d the conservative attorney said. \u201cWe should reward the people who are still exercising their religious beliefs and opting out of things, but doing so in a way where they\u2019re being a good neighbor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hensley has indeed upheld the law without violating her Christian conscience. But she has also launched a bid to change that law.<\/p>\n<p>In December, the Waco-based judge filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court\u2019s 2014 ruling in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/stage-set-supreme-court-overturn-sex-marriage\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Obergefell v. Hodges<\/a>, which held that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/nbc-anchor-caught-deceptively-altering-14th-amendment-trump-interview\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fourteenth Amendment<\/a> protects gay couples\u2019 right to marry.<\/p>\n<p>That legal battle, of course, is for another day. In the meantime, the District Court ruling reminded us of what the father of the U.S. Constitution intended.<\/p>\n<p>A full account of Madison\u2019s constitutional reasoning and views on religious liberty would require a book-length treatment. But one example should suffice for the purposes of illustration.<\/p>\n<p>On June 8, 1789, as a member of the House of Representatives, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/vance-holds-jeffersons-madisons-view-freedom-religion-based-christianity-tells-tpusa-crowd\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Madison<\/a> presented a very early draft of the Bill of Rights.<\/p>\n<p>For what eventually became the Second Amendment, Madison <a href=\"https:\/\/founders.archives.gov\/?q=%20Author%3A%22Madison%2C%20James%22%20Dates-From%3A1789-06-08&#038;s=1111311111&#038;r=2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">proposed<\/a> the following: \u201cThe right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; a well armed, and well regulated militia being the best security of a free country: <em>but no person religiously scrupulous of bearing arms, shall be compelled to render military service in person.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n<p>Congress ultimately left the question of conscientious objection to the states. But the Madisonian principle that places freedom of conscience above collective demands, even above the demands of communal defense, remains alive and well, especially in Texas.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #171717; display: flex;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.5;margin: 24px 0;padding: 18px 20px 18px 30px;text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"align-self: stretch;border-left: 3px solid #171717;flex-shrink: 0;padding-left: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/\">Choose The Western Journal as your preferred source on Google and never miss reporting that defends truth, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/big-tech-to-ban-parler-over-lack-of-content-moderation\/\" title=\"Big tech to ban Parler over lack of content moderation\">protects freedom<\/a>, and advances Western civilization<\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey == typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts = { \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs = [ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i = 0; i < inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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