A Syracuse City Court judge recently refused to perform a wedding ceremony for a same-sex couple. And from reports, it seems like court officials tried to keep the incident a secret. From the Syracuse Post-Standard:
Judge Felicia Pitts Davis was the assigned judge for arraignments on Saturday, Nov. 16, and two weddings were scheduled, according to the members of the legal community familiar with what happened.
Pitts Davis performed the first wedding — a heterosexual couple — but refused to officiate the second because it involved two women, according to the sources.
Another city court judge, Mary Anne Doherty, came into court to officiate the women’s marriage, the sources said.
Davis told Doherty she didn’t want to conduct the ceremony to marry the same-sex couple because of her religious beliefs, the two sources said.
Under state law, judges may not unlawfully discriminate by officiating a marriage for a male-female couple, but refuse to do the same for a same-sex couple, according to a state court spokesperson.
Local and state officials are criticizing Syracuse City Court Judge Felicia Pitts Davis who refused to marry a same-sex couple. Others are calling for her to resign. https://t.co/Y8NmgnzKtI
— Darian Stevenson (@dairrmakayla) December 5, 2024
Shawntay Davis and Niccora Davis, the same-sex couple ditched by Pitts Davis, say they saw an opposite-sex couple get married by Pitts Davis that day, but she left the courtroom without a word when it was their turn. Davis tells the Post-Standard that Pitts Davis did not even acknowledge her and her wife before leaving. Minutes later, Doherty arrived to perform the ceremony. Al Baker, a spokesperson for the state Office of Court Administration, remained silent on the matter for nearly two weeks before finally responding with a tepid, “We are aware of the allegation and have referred the matter to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct.” “Discrimination of any kind is not tolerated by the UCS,” added Baker. “Under New York Law, Judges are authorized, but not obligated, to perform marriages. Judges who choose to perform marriages may not unlawfully discriminate when deciding which couples they will marry.”
Marriage equality is a fundamental right in New York. No one should be subject to hate or discrimination simply because of who they love. Any judge willing to officiate a wedding in their courtroom cannot pick and choose who deserves a wedding. https://t.co/Bema6Ubh6W
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) December 4, 2024
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has weighed in on the issue as well as the mayor of Syracuse and Central New York Pride. CNY Pride said the judge’s actions a “disgrace” to her position as an elected official, and called for a “full ethical investigation” into Pitts-Davis’ conduct since she took the bench in 2020.
According to CNY Pride, Syracuse City Court Judge Felicia Pitts-Davis refused to marry a same-sex couple, citing a religion-based disagreement with same-sex marriage. The incident happened on November 16.
www.cnycentral.com/news/local/s… [image or embed] — ffrf.bsky.social (@ffrf.bsky.social) December 5, 2024 at 10:24 AM
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