Judge Walker told reporters that he's gay and explained in this article why he didn't recuse himself from the Prop 8 case -- much to the chagrin of many in the anti-marriage equality crowd.
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.Rightly so, I might add. Can you imagine the ridiculousness of judges recusing themselves due to their ethnicity or national origin in cases they decide? If the marriage equality opposition wants to cry foul they can explain to the rest of us why they think it is justified to have a conservative judge, like Clarence Thomas, refuse to recuse himself for legitimate reasons like a direct conflict of interest. Also, it isn't like Walker had proven he wasn't capable of balance, or working against his own community's interest, with his judicial temperament considering his previous work as an attorney regarding gay rights. The article details his hardball actions as an attorney on behalf of his clients to prevent the use of the term "Gay Olympics." I'm quite sure he is thankful that fate dealt him another set of cards where he could use judicial prudence to redeem himself in his life outside the courtroom with our community. It is nice to see his quest to neutrally uphold our laws as a judge happened to end on a sweet note that made him a hero to his own LGBT community.
Former U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker's comments were his first on what legal observers have been been intensely -- but quietly -- discussing since the blockbuster case was filed. Some wondered whether his sexual orientation would affect his decision and how it would be received.
However the group defending California's gay marriage ban, Proposition 8, refrained from raising the issue in court. Walker eventually struck down Prop 8 as unconstitutional, and the case is currently on appeal.
