Judge won't perform same-sex marriages

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A Marion County judge has asked his clerks to refer couples seeking same-sex marriages to other county judges.

Judge Vance Day, a former chairman of the Oregon Republican Party, now faces an ethics investigation.

Spokesman Patrick Korten says Day asked his staff to send same-sex couples elsewhere due to his religious beliefs.

Last month, the Oregon Government Ethics Commission gave Day permission to create a legal defense fund for himself in order to cover such expenses he expects to incur during the investigation.

Marion County judges are not required to perform marriages.