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MsTinkerbelly · 04-06-2011, 04:32 PM

Judge Walker publicly comes out; never considered recusing himself
By Adam Bink

Very interesting and courageous comments from Judge Walker, who, for the first time, acknowledged that he is gay:

The U.S. judge who struck down California’s gay marriage ban never considered his own homosexuality as a reason to recuse himself from the case, he said on Wednesday.

Former U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker, who retired from the bench at the end of February, said it would not be appropriate for any judge’s sexual orientation, ethnicity, national origin or gender to stop them from presiding over a case.

“That’s a very slippery slope,” Walker said.

The talk to a handful of reporters was Walker’s first public comments to reporters about presiding over the lawsuit challenging to Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in California. Walker struck down the ban as unconstitutional, and the case is currently on appeal.

It was also the first time Walker publicly acknowledged his own sexual orientation. Walker said he has been in a relationship with the man for 10 years. “He is a physician,” Walker said.

I agree on recusal. We can’t be assigning case after case to others because of different characteristics, but more to the point, judges must be nominated who can set their own personal characteristics aside and judge independently.

04-06-2011, 04:32 PM	#7
MsTinkerbelly Timed Out - TOS Drama How Do You Identify?: ... Preferred Pronoun?: ... Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: ... Posts: 6,573 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 30,737 Thanked 22,909 Times in 5,019 Posts Rep Power: 0	From the Prop 8 trial tracker Judge Walker publicly comes out; never considered recusing himself By Adam Bink Very interesting and courageous comments from Judge Walker, who, for the first time, acknowledged that he is gay: The U.S. judge who struck down California’s gay marriage ban never considered his own homosexuality as a reason to recuse himself from the case, he said on Wednesday. Former U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker, who retired from the bench at the end of February, said it would not be appropriate for any judge’s sexual orientation, ethnicity, national origin or gender to stop them from presiding over a case. “That’s a very slippery slope,” Walker said. The talk to a handful of reporters was Walker’s first public comments to reporters about presiding over the lawsuit challenging to Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in California. Walker struck down the ban as unconstitutional, and the case is currently on appeal. It was also the first time Walker publicly acknowledged his own sexual orientation. Walker said he has been in a relationship with the man for 10 years. “He is a physician,” Walker said. I agree on recusal. We can’t be assigning case after case to others because of different characteristics, but more to the point, judges must be nominated who can set their own personal characteristics aside and judge independently.