A judicial advisory panel in Ohio is warning the state's judges that they can't refuse to perform same-sex weddings. Statehouse correspondent Karen Kasler reports.
The Board of Professional Conduct of the Supreme Court of Ohio is telling judges who perform civil marriage ceremonies that they can't ethically refuse same-sex couples who want to marry, and that they also can't decline to perform all marriage ceremonies to avoid the issue.
The advisory opinion from the board personal, moral or religious beliefs should not factor into their administrative duties. And the opinion also says judges who stop performing all marriages to avoid marrying same-sex couples may be interpreted as biased and could be disqualified from any case where sexual orientation is an issue.
And it advises judges to be aware of the effect that a decision to decline all civil marriages could have on how the public sees the judiciary.