A Texas judge has rejected the city of Houston’s demand to deny a jury trial to pastors fighting a controversial transgender ordinance.
The ruling, released late Tuesday by Judge Robert Schaffer in the Harris County District Court in Houston, came in a case in which the city created a firestorm of controversy by issuing subpoenas for copies of pastors’ sermons.
In its latest motion, the city claimed the pastors have no right to a jury trial, contending the decision should be made by a hand-picked “special master.”
The pastors are opposing an ordinance adopted by lesbian Mayor Annise Parker and council members that creates protections for transgenders, allowing them to use city facilities designated for the opposite sex.