A judge refused to officiate a wedding which was planned later in the month due to his objection to the couple’s lack of religious beliefs.
According to Pathoes, Kentucky Judge/Executive Hollis Alexander confirmed that he turned away Mandy Heath and her fiancee after the two went to file the necessary paperwork at the local courthouse on the day before their wedding.
“I will be unable to perform your wedding ceremony,” said Alexander, who also refuses to perform ceremonies for same-sex couples. “I include God in my ceremonies and I won’t do one without.”
The judge’s objections have already been met with criticism from the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
“As a government employee, you have a constitutional obligation to remain neutral on religious matters while acting in your official capacity. You have no right to impose your personal religious beliefs on people seeking to be married. Governments in this nation, including the Commonwealth of Kentucky, are secular. They do not have the power to impose religion on citizens,” Freedom From Religion Foundation wrote.
“The bottom line is that by law, there must be a secular option for people seeking to get married. In Trigg County, you are that secular option. The default ceremony offered by your office should be secular and people wishing to add in religion should be able to do so upon request. Not the other way around and certainly not to the exclusion of a secular option.”
Featured image: kcjea.org
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