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Felicia Pitts-Davis is being investigated by the state Commission of Judicial Conduct for refusing to marry a lesbian couple despite marrying a straight couple moments before.
A city court judge in Syracuse, New York is facing investigation and calls to resign after she refused to marry a lesbian couple.
Felicia Pitts-Davis is being investigated by the state Commission of Judicial Conduct for refusing to marry the two young women, Shawntay and Nicorra Davis (no relation), despite marrying a straight couple moments before. The women told local outlet CNY Central that the judge left the courtroom on Nov. 16 when she saw the two of them were her next wedding.
"All of a sudden she looked at us, she just swished her hair and walked away like she was disgusted or something, and I noticed it and was like, 'What’s going on?' Then another judge came in," Shawntay said.
City court judge Mary Anne Doherty, who is LGBTQ+, then officiated the couple's wedding. Pitts-Davis allegedly told Doherty that she could not marry the couple, as it went against her religious beliefs, according to Syracuse.com.
An investigation against Pitts-Davis has since been launched, as court spokesperson Al Baker told the outlet: “We are aware of the allegation and have referred the matter to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct," further explaining that "discrimination of any kind is not tolerated by the UCS. Under New York Law, Judges are authorized, but not obligated, to perform marriages. Judges who choose to perform marriages may not unlawfully discriminate when deciding which couples they will marry.”
Pitts-Davis, who was elected to a 10-year term in 2020, has since faced multiple calls to resign. Syracuse City Auditor Alexander Marion, who is also LGBTQ+, said in a statement that he was "deeply disturbed" to learn of the allegations, and urged the judge to "step down so all the people of our community can be assured they receive equal treatment under the law."
"If she does not, the Office of Court Administration should promptly suspend her from the bench," he concluded.
New York's Marriage Equality Act of 2011 guarantees marriage equality under state law. Voters also solidified into law the Equal Rights Amendment, which codifies protections for LGBTQ+ people against discrimination in the state constitution, in a November referendum.
A petition from LGBTQ+ organization CNY Pride has also garnered nearly 1,300 signatures, calling on Pitts-Davis to "swiftly resign her position so it can be filled by someone who actually believes in the fair and impartial application of New York law."
"Judge Pitts Davis violated her judicial oath and disgraced the fundamental tenets of her elected position," the petition reads. "The LGBTQ+ community and its allies in Central New York deserve far better from the judicial system than this biased and unethical judge."
Shawntay and Nicorra continued to say that they did not think much of the change at the time, and instead chose to focus on their special day, though Nicorra added that "it’s been frustrating ever since then, because here we are thinking, something happened or maybe she’ll just marry us, but all along she didn’t want to marry us because we’re lesbians, and that’s frustrating."
The two still aren't letting the incident put a damper on their future, as Shawntay urged: “Be comfortable in who you are. Never let anyone dictate how your life should be. Love who you love."
