A disagreement over religious freedom and same-sex marriage is already emerging as an early issue for the incoming chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court.

Chief Justice-elect Maggie Ellis, a Democrat elected Tuesday, has expressed opposition to a policy allowing Texas judges to decline officiating weddings that conflict with their sincerely held religious beliefs.

The policy, adopted by the Texas Supreme Court in October 2025, protects judges who choose not to perform certain marriage ceremonies, including same-sex weddings.