{"id":350937,"date":"2026-06-26T03:19:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T03:19:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/350937\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T03:19:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T03:19:12","slug":"texas-judge-who-refused-to-marry-gay-couples-wins-640k-in-lawsuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/350937\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas judge who refused to marry gay couples wins $640k in lawsuit"},"content":{"rendered":"

Earlier this week, a Texas judge ruled that the State Commission on Judicial Conduct could not enforce disciplinary action against a Waco justice of the peace for refusing to perform same-sex wedding ceremonies, as reported by NPR\/PBS affiliate Kera News<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Travis County Judge Maya Guerra Gamble, a Democrat, awarded McLennan County Justice of the Peace Dianne Hensley $10,000 in damages and $630,000 in attorney\u2019s fees on the grounds that the commission infringed on Hensley\u2019s religious liberty rights. Gamble\u2019s ruling stated the state agency did not have a right to \u201cinvestigate, sanction, or discipline\u201d her for refusing to officiate same-sex weddings due to her Christian beliefs.<\/p>\n

Hensley argued that her decision not to perform the ceremonies for LGBTQ+ couples did not truly affect their right to get married, since other local judges would still do so, and also noted that justices of the peace in Texas aren\u2019t required to officiate weddings.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just accommodating people who called needing a low-cost wedding, and it’s been long enough now we don’t get many calls anymore,\u201d Hensley said. \u201cSo, unless we start getting a lot of demand, I may not.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also expressed she was satisfied with Gamble\u2019s ruling. \u201cI think the agency overstepped itself, and what we saw was their bias on the issue and not the law.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Judge<\/p>\n

Judge Maya Guerra Gamble and Justice of the Peace Dianne Hensley<\/p>\n

Judge Maya Guerra Gamble and Justice of the Peace Dianne HensleyMayaGuerraGamble.com; First Liberty Institute<\/p>\n

The case actually dates back to 2015, when the U.S. Supreme Court\u2019s decision on the Obergefell v. Hodges<\/a> case made same-sex marriage legal throughout the nation. After the landmark ruling, some judges chose to officiate all marriages, regardless of the couples\u2019 sexual orientation, or not to officiate any.<\/p>\n

Initially, Hensley chose not to continue officiating weddings at all, but then in 2016 decided to perform weddings again \u2013 but for straight couples only. According to court documents, Hensley did refer same-sex couples to another judge or other local officiants.<\/p>\n

After the judicial conduct commission discovered this, it launched an official inquiry into Hensley\u2019s policy and issued a public warning to her. In response, Hensley filed a lawsuit against the commission over the disciplinary action, arguing that her actions were protected by the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which prohibits restrictions that substantially affect an individual\u2019s right to religious freedom.<\/p>\n

In 2024, the commission dismissed Hensley\u2019s sanction, noting that none of its current commissioners were employed at the agency when she was reprimanded, and therefore should not be financially responsible for paying damages. In May 2025, Austin\u2019s Third Court of Appeals ruled Hensley\u2019s suit could move forward in Travis County District Court, which ultimately concluded with Gamble\u2019s ruling this week.<\/p>\n

“People cannot be made \u2014 cannot be forced into participating in things that they have a religious disagreement with,” said attorney Hiram Sasser of First Liberty Institute, a conservative law firm that helped represent Hensley.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Advocate: Texas judge who refused to marry gay couples wins $640k in lawsuit<\/a><\/p>\n

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