A wedding cake with a decoration showing two grooms on top of it. (sandoclr / Getty Images)
By Michael Austin June 27, 2026 at 4:00am
A judge in Waco, Texas, who refused to take part in so-called same-sex weddings received $10,000 in damages and $630,000 in attorneys fees after facing discipline.
Judge Dianne Hensley, who is a Christian, faced sanctions from the State Commission on Judicial Conduct after recusing herself from performing same-sex weddings, per a release from First Liberty Institute, which represented her.
She had even decided to make a list of other officiants who were willing to perform so-called same-sex weddings at her price.
But the State Commission on Judicial Conduct still issued her a “Public Warning,” claiming she had violated the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct.
After nearly seven years, McLennan County Justice of the Peace Dianne Hensley has prevailed in her lawsuit against the State Commission on Judicial Conduct after she declined to perform same-sex ceremonies as part of her duties. https://t.co/TlCiGsVdid
— The Texan (@TheTexanNews) June 23, 2026
Hensley then filed a lawsuit against the entity, contending that her religious liberty under the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act had been violated.
The State Commission on Judicial Conduct argued last year that she could not “welcome to her chambers heterosexual couples for whom she willingly offers to conduct marriage ceremonies,” while also opting out of “officiating due to a sincere religious belief,” per a report from The Christian Post.
The Texas Supreme Court ruled on Jan. 9 in a different case that the State Commission on Judicial Conduct “has no authority under state law to discipline judges who refuse to perform same-sex weddings for moral or religious reasons,” according to First Liberty Institute.
The district court weighing Hensley’s case then ruled in her favor.
Hiram Sasser, executive general counsel for First Liberty Institute, said in a statement that “Judge Hensley always adhered to the law and the legal guidance provided by the Attorney General of Texas.”
“We are grateful that this case has concluded and that Judge Hensley was vindicated.”
Texas Judge Dianne Hensley won $640K after being disciplined for declining to officiate same-sex weddings because of her religious beliefs. #ReligiousLiberty #Texas #FirstLiberty #DianneHensley #ChristianPost
🔗 https://t.co/XZhWohROhn https://t.co/wnKsCbxBvt pic.twitter.com/zXRN1naEnQ— The Christian Post (@ChristianPost) June 23, 2026
First Liberty Institute noted that “although the Hensley litigation has concluded, the Commission is still facing a statewide class-action lawsuit on behalf of justices of the peace who were unwilling to perform same-sex marriages and stopped performing weddings entirely to avoid disciplinary action from the Commission.”
“The class action is seeking damages in the tens of millions of dollars for income lost by justices of the peace throughout the state,” the release added.
Hensley has also filed a separate lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas contending that the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges was unconstitutional, according to The Christian Post.
“Officiating a wedding ceremony is speech, and the commissioners are preventing Judge Hensley from engaging in this speech unless she agrees to perform homosexual marriages in violation of her Christian faith and in violation of Texas law,” the complaint said.
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