Photo: MK photograp55/Shutterstock.com Texas Senate Passes Religious Liberty Bill to Shield Lawyers Who Reject LGBTQ Clients
State Bar President Joe Longley said he's never heard of a case in which the bar disciplined a lawyer based on his or her religious beliefs, and he hasn't heard any lawyers discussing the issue. “It's not high on my radar screen,” he said.
April 03, 2019 at 06:22 PM
3 minute read
The Texas Senate on Wednesday passed legislation that would protect lawyers who have sincerely held religious beliefs from losing their law licenses based on any rule or policy by the State Bar of Texas.
Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, has said that one reason he carried the legislation was because of a model rule by the American Bar Association that would prohibit attorneys from discriminating against LGBTQ people, according to the Dallas Morning News. The State Bar of Texas has not adopted the ABA's proposed LGBTQ anti-discrimination rule, but the new law would protect attorneys from potential sanctions.
State Bar President Joe Longley said he's never heard of a case in which the bar disciplined a lawyer based on his or her religious beliefs, and he can't recall any lawyers discussing the topic with him. He hadn't been following SB 17 through the legislative process.
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