I think the Ohio Supreme Court’s Board of Professional Conduct will be looking into this situation.
Toledo Municipal Judge Allen McConnell, who was in the midst of a three-week stint performing civil ceremonies, refused to marry Carolyn Wilson and her partner on Monday.
“I declined to marry a non-traditional couple during my duties assignment,” McConnell said in a statement. “The declination was based upon my personal and Christian beliefs established over many years. I apologize to the couple for the delay they experienced and wish them the best.”
The judge also said he’s asked the Ohio Supreme Court whether he can opt out of the rotation to avoid violating his religious beliefs.
A court administrator told Reuters that Wilson and her partner’s wedding was the first same-sex ceremony the court had been asked to perform. The couple was married by another judge after McConnell refused.
I understand what he’s saying, but when you take an oath to uphold the laws and the Constitution, you don’t get to pick and choose. You’re not a priest or a rabbi being forced to violate your faith; you’re an officer of the court and you do what the law says or get another job.
Judges in Ohio are elected and McConnell has never lost. I suspect the judge is thinking of his conservative black voters and acting like a politician. But then they so many wearing the black robes do. Antonin, I’m thinking of you.