Today, Wednesday August 17th, Judge Ruth Neely will be giving her oral arguments to the Wyoming State Supreme Court. The issue at-hand is simply the freedom of religious expression. The case is the first of its kind in the nation: even though small-town magistrates like Judge Ruth Neely aren’t required or even paid by the state to perform weddings, a Wyoming agency is demanding her firing, a lifetime ban and a $40,000 fine because it disagrees with her religious beliefs.
I want to highlight that Judge Neely is a widely respected judge and has received support from most of her community as well as a local LGBT couple who views the threats against her as “obscene.”
Also a concern for faith communities is a statement made by a member of the Wyoming Commission on Judicial Conduct and Ethics seeking to remove Neely. In a transcript of hearings held in December 2015, one of the state attorneys in the commission is quoted as saying the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod’s (LCMS) position on marriage is “repugnant.”
Please keep Ruth and her family in your prayers as they stand on one of America’s major cultural front lines. And to be clear, our prayers are for Judge Neely and everyone’s freedom of expression, and not against any one person or group. Scripture tells us that we wrestle not against flesh & blood, but against spiritual powers.
There are many good articles to read that have further links inside :
Wyoming Goliath Vs. Small-Town Judge
Who is Judge Neely from Pinedale, Wyoming?
Church of the Resurrection 