Judge Issued Warning Over Refusal to do Same-Sex Weddings

A West Virginia judge has agreed to stop presiding over marriages altogether rather than officiate for same-sex couples.

The West Virginia Judicial Investigation Commission issued a warning to Mineral County Judge Lynn Nelson after receiving a complaint from Fairness West Virginia, which advocates for equal treatment of people regardless of their gender or sexual orientation.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail cites a letter the commission sent to the Fairness group in October.

The group says in a statement that Nelson had refused to perform same-sex marriages in his courtroom. The judge says such weddings are against his religious beliefs.

Now, in response to the complaint, he won’t perform any marriages.

The letter says the commission didn’t charge him with any ethical violations. Commission General Counsel Teresa Tarr declined to comment Monday.