Legal Question in Family Law in Texas
Does Texas recognize online religious ordinations?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Texas Family Code: � 2.202. PERSONS AUTHORIZED TO CONDUCT CEREMONY. (a) The
following persons are authorized to conduct a marriage ceremony:
(1) a licensed or ordained Christian minister or
priest;
(2) a Jewish rabbi;
(3) a person who is an officer of a religious
organization and who is authorized by the organization to conduct a
marriage ceremony; and
(4) a justice of the supreme court, judge of the court
of criminal appeals, justice of the courts of appeals, judge of the
district, county, and probate courts, judge of the county courts at
law, judge of the courts of domestic relations, judge of the
juvenile courts, retired justice or judge of those courts, justice
of the peace, retired justice of the peace, or judge or magistrate
of a federal court of this state.
(b) For the purposes of this section, a retired judge or
justice is a former judge or justice who is vested in the Judicial
Retirement System of Texas Plan One or the Judicial Retirement
System of Texas Plan Two or who has an aggregate of at least 12 years
of service as judge or justice of any type listed in Subsection
(a)(4).
(c) Except as provided by Subsection (d), a person commits
an offense if the person knowingly conducts a marriage ceremony
without authorization under this section. An offense under this
subsection is a Class A misdemeanor.
(d) A person commits an offense if the person knowingly
conducts a marriage ceremony of a minor whose marriage is
prohibited by law or of a person who by marrying commits an offense
under Section 25.01, Penal Code. An offense under this subsection
is a felony of the third degree.
It appears that provided the religious organization is legal, and the person is legally recognized as a minister by the organization, then it satisfies the statute.