Tabor’s within his rights

Thurston County Superior Court Judge Gary Tabor’s announcement that he would not perform gay weddings was his right – and his right alone.   As a superior court judge he is required to do certain things and among them be impartial and fair.

But, he is not required to perform weddings.  When judges perform weddings they do so as a favor.  They perform weddings because they want to – not because they have to.

As far as I’m concerned, Judge Tabor is exercising his religious rights as granted to him by the Constitution of the United States.

Judge Tabor has been an outstanding superior court judge.   His decades of work on the superior court bench have been beyond reproach.  His decisions are well-thought out, fair, impartial and always to the letter of the law, as he sees the law.

In his official duties as a judge, he does not discriminate.  He sees each individual in the light of impartiality.  Judge Tabor is an outstanding judge and a great asset to the people of Thurston County.

In his private life, he is conservative and obviously follows the teaching of his god as he perceives it to be.   That is his right and his obligation as a human being.

When those two parts of his life collide – – when his duties as a judge conflict with his religious beliefs – – Judge Tabor always does his duties as the law requires.

The difference this time around, is that as a judge, he is not required to perform weddings.   He can perform weddings – he has performed weddings –  but he is not required to perform weddings.

I’m surprised that he announced that he would not perform weddings.  He would have been better off just to keep that to himself, and take only those weddings that he wanted to perform.

But, I’m more surprised that the half dozen other superior court judges haven’t come to his defense.

I’m sure that most of the other judges do perform gay weddings, but they should support Tabor’s right not to do so.

It’s a shame that none of them have done so.

I suspect they’re all to scared.