"What happened: After years of lawsuits, the state supreme court adjusted its code of conduct for local judges that previously banned them from performing opposite-sex marriages but refused to perform same-sex marriages because it creates the appearance of bias. Bias is OK now if a judge cites a "sincerely held religious belief." Why it matters: In rural parts of the state, there could be as few as one judge in the county who performs marriages at all, adding to the burden LGBTQ+ people have to carry in order to access their rights."
"Key quote: "This would be a de facto national ban. There would still be providers in blue states that don't take federal funding but the large interdisciplinary teams of just a few years ago would be nearly impossible to maintain. The result is that the care that remains would largely be underground with worse support and likely outcomes," said civil rights attorney Alejandra Caraballo."
"His record? Newsom said that he had "signed more bills protecting trans folks than anyone you've ever had on this air" in a radio interview this week, which could be true: the California Legislature regularly sends pro-LGBTQ+ and pro-trans bills to the governor. He was responding to criticism of his opposition to letting trans kids participate in school sports and said that his objection rests specifically on that issue."
The state supreme court modified the judicial code of conduct to permit judges to cite a "sincerely held religious belief" when refusing to perform marriages. The prior rule aimed to prevent appearance-of-bias by barring judges from refusing same-sex marriages while banning opposite-sex marriages. The change risks leaving rural counties with very few judges who perform marriages, increasing barriers for LGBTQ+ people seeking to exercise marriage rights. Civil rights attorneys warn that similar policies could shrink access to interdisciplinary care nationwide and drive remaining services underground. Governor Gavin Newsom highlighted signing numerous pro-trans bills while opposing trans participation in girls' sports.
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