Pro-marriage judge facing ethics charges defends decision to not ‘marry’ same-sex couples
An ethics hearing is underway for an Oregon judge who refused to perform same-sex “marriage,” a probe his attorney says will test whether conservative judges are allowed to hold traditional beliefs on marriage. As Marion County Circuit Judge Vance Day fights the probe, now four days into a two-week hearing, his attorney says Day is a test subject for those who want him and others gone from the bench. “He’s the vehicle by which this issue is being litigated in Oregon,” said Ralph Spooner, according to Northwest News Network. “He’s the one they picked on. He’s got the target on his back." Day is being hit with numerous charges, including allegations that he treated same-sex couples unequally to heterosexual couples. A supporter of natural marriage, Day declined to perform same-sex ceremonies and subsequently decided to stop overseeing all such unions. While Oregon judges are not required to perform marriages , the Judicial Commission's attorney said that “when a judge in ...