The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to
hear an appeal involving an Oregon judge who refused to marry gay and
lesbian couples.
The Oregon Supreme Court in March
suspended Marion County Circuit Court Judge Vance Day for three
years, the longest suspension in its history. An ethics commission in 2016
recommended that Day be removed from office.
The Supreme Court's decision leaves in
place the three-year suspension against Day.
After a federal judge in 2014 struck
down Oregon's marriage ban, Day, a Republican, referred gay couples
looking to marry to other judges. He later stopped marrying couples
altogether.
In his appeal, Day argued that he was
being singled out for his opposition to marriage equality.
Other ethics charges include
allegations that Day had broken gun laws when he twice gave a gun to
a felon and lied to investigators. He is facing criminal charges
stemming from the gun handling allegations. His trial is set to
begin October 22.