In 2012, Texas Judge Tonya Parker publicly declared that she would not perform any marriages until the state government met her demands.

Specifically, the lesbian Dallas County judge wanted state legislators to authorize same-sex marriages, and until they did, she wouldn’t perform them for anyone.

“I do not perform [marriages] because it is not an equal application of the law. Period,” Parker told the Dallas Voice at the time.

She was captured on video speaking to the Stonewall Democrats of Dallas group in February 2012:

“I use it as my opportunity to give them a lesson about marriage equality in the state because I feel like I have to tell them why I’m turning them away,” she told the group.

“So I usually will offer them something along the lines of, ‘I’m sorry. I don’t perform marriage ceremonies because we are in a state that does not have marriage equality, and until it does, I am not going to partially apply the law to one group of people that doesn’t apply to another group of people.’

“And it’s kind of oxymoronic for me to perform ceremonies that can’t be performed for me, so I’m not going to do it,” the New York Daily News quoted Parker as saying at the time.

When the video surfaced, Parker defended her position to NBC 5, writing:

I faithfully and fully perform all of my duties as the Presiding Judge of the 116th Civil District Court, where it is my honor to serve the citizens of Dallas County and the parties who have matters before the Court.

Performing marriage ceremonies is not a duty that I have as the Presiding Judge of a civil district court. It is a right and privilege invested in me under the Family Code. I choose not to exercise it, as many other Judges do not exercise it. Because it is not part of our duties, some Judges even charge a fee to perform the ceremonies.

I do not, and would never, impede any person’s right to get married. In fact, when people wander into my courtroom, usually while I am presiding over other matters, I direct them to the Judges in the courthouse who do perform marriage ceremonies. If my deputy is not busy, I will even ask him to escort or help these individuals find another Judge who performs the ceremonies.  I do this because I believe in the right of people to marry and pursue happiness.

The federal government took no action against Parker’s open defiance of state law. Ballotpedia notes the judge, who ran as a Democrat, was re-elected in 2014 and her term expires in 2018.