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Originally Posted by autobachs
The article is a bit misleading. He won't sign a license (they actually say this later on) which in effect means he won't marry them. A license is not being denied. It's the same as a catholic priest refusing to marry anyone to a non-catholic or any other personal rational used to decide who's marriage you will or won't precide over. I still don't understand where the outrage is coming from. The guy has some very screwy beliefs, but they aren't required to match some fixed set.
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It's not the same thing. A justice of the peace works for the state. Unlike a priest or minister, who are marrying people in their capacity as a religious leader and can deny marrying people based on their religious beliefs, he is marrying people as a state official and thus doesn't get to choose who he will or will not marry as long as they're a legal couple. He's discriminating against a couple because they happen to be of mixed race, which is outragous for anyone, but doublely so for a state employee. Then he goes on to defend his position by claiming he has black friends that he lets use his bathroom so he isn't racist. He isn't required to like it, he's allowed to hold racist beliefs, but he is also required to marry the couple as is the law. He can believe it's a mistake all he wants, but by not marrying them he's breaking the law.