Former pediatric neurosurgeon and possible 2016 presidential candidate Ben Carson explained to an Iowa broadcaster on Tuesday that Congress can and should eject judges who rule in favor of gay marriage.

On the conservative Steve Deace Show podcast (“Fear God. Tell The Truth. Make Money.”) Carson said most Americans are unaware of this authority “because they don’t know the Constitution.”

“When judges do not carry out their duties in an appropriate way, our Congress actually has the right to reprimand or remove them,” Carson said. Any law on marriage should be decided by a popular referendum, and any decisions made by courts are “unconstitutional,” justifying dismissal of judges, he added.

Later on in the interview, Carson agreed with Deace that ongoing spread of legalized gay marriage would make it “open season on Christians.”

“Values and principles cannot be drummed out of us,” Carson said. “They’re going to try, and the only way we maintain a country with values and principles is we have to be brave enough to stand up for what we believe.”

His language echoed a recent statement in which he compared favorably Islamic State militants to American patriots who are ready to die for their beliefs.

h/t RightWingWatch