A Conundrum for Judge Vaughn Walker
Talk about upholding the unbiased disposition.
The case Perry vs. Schwarzenegger has an amazing detail that is known as the ‘open secret.’ The man who must make the decision for the prop 8 case is said to be Gay. Justice Vaughn Walker has a personal life that would make one think that his decision is easy, however, as all judges must do, Walker must remove himself from the case emotionally and make judgement based on the proceedings alone. Walker keeps his personal life very private, but talk about checking yourself at the door for this case. Whatever decision he must go with will effect him forever.
The case was assigned to him at random and according to Kate Kendell, the head of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, which is supporting the lawsuit to overturn Prop. 8.“There is nothing about Walker as a judge to indicate that his sexual orientation, other than being an interesting factor, will in any way bias his view.”
Of course, we hope his decision is in our favor; but we ponder, why didn’t he recuse himself from this case? That’s one of the challenges of any judge who takes on a case that is too close to home. He or she must do their job and make decisions that go against their heart.
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