Group files complaint against judge who ordered man to marry girlfriend
AUSTIN, Texas -- A group that advocates the separation of church and state has filed a complaint about a Texas judge who ordered a man to marry his girlfriend as a condition of probation.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation said Friday it filed the complaint against Smith County Court-at-Law Judge Randall Rogers a day earlier with the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct in Austin.
On July 2, Rogers gave 21-year-old Josten Bundy 30 days to marry 19-year-old Elizabeth James or face 15 days in jail for pleading guilty to misdemeanor assault. Bundy admitted punching Jaynes' ex-boyfriend twice in the jaw for "saying disrespectful things" about her. Rogers also ordered Bundy to scrawl a Bible verse 25 times daily.
Rogers didn't return a message seeking comment. Bundy and James have since married.
According to CBS affiliate KEYE-TV, a person in Pennsylvania has started a petition to the White House calling for Rogers' disbarment for violating the man's first amendment rights.
The petition has more than 1,300 signatures.