The Austin Court of Appeals rejected in its entirety the issues a Waco justice of the peace raised on appeal, after the State Commission on Judicial Conduct publicly reprimanded him for refusing to perform marriage rites for same-sex couples.

Justice of the Peace Precinct 1, Place 1 Dianne Hensley of McLennan County filed suit in a Travis County district court after the commission reprimanded her. She alleged the punishment violated the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and further claimed the commission's sovereign immunity was waived under the Texas Uniform Declaratory Judgments Act.