Virginia Editorial Boards Slam General Assembly GOP on Judicial Unjustness

5/16/2012

Virginia Editorial Boards Slam General Assembly GOP on Judicial Unjustness

 

"Tuesday's vote brought dishonor to this General Assembly and ranks among the lowest moments in a legislative session that's been full of them." -Virginian Pilot
 
"No matter how they dressed it up, the Republicans' opposition boiled down to old-fashioned prejudice. Even by voting at 1 a.m., they couldn't hide the fact that bigotry and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is alive and well in the state of Virginia." -Washington Post
 
"Tracy Thorne-Begland has served his country and his community, first in the Navy and then in the office of Richmond's Commonwealth's Attorney. Yet social conservatives in the General Assembly - spurred on by the Family Foundation of Virginia, which led the crusade for Virginia's ban on gay marriage - torpedoed his nomination to a judgeship in general district court because he has spoken out in favor of homosexual rights." -Times-Dispatch
 
"Thorne-Begland would have been Virginia's first openly gay judge. Rejecting his appointment caps a General Assembly session that will be remembered for its embarrassing pursuit of a radical conservative social agenda out of step with the modern world." - Roanoke Times
 
VIRGINIAN PILOT: Thorne-Begland needed 51 of 100 House votes to become a judge. He got 33, including eight Republicans. Thirty-one Republicans voted against him. Thirty-six delegates abstained or didn't vote, an embarrassment all its own. Senate Republicans then killed the prosecutor's chances by voting 20-19 not to take up his nomination. The legislature's decision, said Sen. Adam P. Ebbin, an Alexandria Democrat, was "homophobic and embarrassing and showed a disrespect to a chief deputy commonwealth attorney and decorated veteran who was honorably discharged." Tuesday's vote brought dishonor to this General Assembly and ranks among the lowest moments in a legislative session that's been full of them.
 
WASHINGTON POST:  Other GOP delegates impugned Mr. Thorne-Begland's character by noting that he'd concealed his homosexuality when he enlisted in the Navy in the late 1980s. Never mind that the military's own rules, reflecting America's evolving views, have moved well beyond that debate. No matter how they dressed it up, the Republicans' opposition boiled down to old-fashioned prejudice. Even by voting at 1 a.m., they couldn't hide the fact that bigotry and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is alive and well in the state of Virginia.
 
TIMES-DISPATCH: Among other things, those objecting to Thorne-Begland cited his opposition to Virginia's constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. The Family Foundation, for instance, raised the possibility that Thorne-Begland's "personal political agenda" might "take precedence over Virginia law and the Constitution." By that standard, J. Harvie Wilkinson - a well-regarded member of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, a conservative and the author of a new book on the Constitution - also does not deserve to sit on the bench. After all, he, too, opposed Virginia's marriage amendment. So did many others from across the political spectrum - including former Gov. Tim Kaine. Would lawmakers suggest Kaine is unfit for the judiciary?
 
ROANOKE TIMES:  His nomination had bipartisan support, just not enough from Republicans who hold an overwhelming majority in the House of Delegates. It failed on a 33-31 vote with 10 abstentions and 26 lawmakers not even voting. The vote took place after 1 a.m. The Christian activist group Family Foundation of Virginia joined Marshall in attacking the nomination. We cannot help but wonder if they would raise the same objections to an openly Christian nominee. After all, passionate religious faith can influence a judge and make it difficult for him to enforce the law independently of his biases. Or what about the two former delegates whom the assembly confirmed as judges Tuesday night? They have been outspoken on uncounted issues that could come before the courts over their time in office. Thorne-Begland would have been Virginia's first openly gay judge. Rejecting his appointment caps a General Assembly session that will be remembered for its embarrassing pursuit of a radical conservative social agenda out of step with the modern world.
 
 

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