Looking behind him, one wonders if he thinks it's still 1859, given his antiquated thinking and prejudices. Meet Judge Vance D. Day, with the initials: V.D. Day.
When in public office, one must put one's personal beliefs aside and uphold the law. Can a Catholic judge refuse to allow a divorce? No. Elected officials cannot refuse to do their jobs on the basis of religion. That is why we have separation of church and state. Religion has no place in the courtroom, in government, or in any public sector.People are free to believe in any imaginary friend, as long as that belief doesn't discriminate against others who are entitled to equal protection under the law. We are not a nation of secular law. We abide by civil law.
"Anne Levinson, a retired Seattle judge who was also a key adviser in the campaign to legalize same-sex marriage, said that 'if a judge says he or she is available to perform weddings, then he can’t decline some of them based on any reason that has the appearance of bias or prejudice.'"
The Seattle Times article also says: "In addition to state laws against discrimination, judges are subject to an even higher bar — the code of judicial conduct — which requires them to discharge their duties without bias or prejudice." With his prejudice against gay people, Judge Day is in violation of Oregon's Code of Judicial Conduct:Rule 3.3 Impartiality and Fairness
(A) A judge shall uphold and apply the law and perform all duties of judicial office, including administrative duties, fairly, impartially, and without bias or prejudice. (B) A judge shall not, in the performance of judicial duties, by words or conduct, manifest bias or prejudice, or engage in harassment, against parties, witnesses, lawyers, or others based on attributes including but not limited to, sex, gender identity, race, national origin, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, age, socioeconomic status, or
political affiliation and shall not permit court staff, court officials, or others subject to the judge's direction and control to do so.
Of course, Day is ignoring the fact that when he took office, he swore to uphold the U.S. Constitution. Hopefully this judgmental judge will swiftly be benched permanently. One wonders how many bad verdicts were entered by him, influenced by his bias and bigotry.
The following video excerpt* from Aaron Sorkin's brilliant television series, The West Wing (NBC), provides the perfect rebuttal to these hypocrites:
How to silence Kim Davis supporters who cherry-pick the Bible...
Posted by Rafael Pazypuente on Friday, September 4, 2015
Oregon.gov lists this contact information:
Honorable Vance Day, Courtroom 4D
Beckie Matchett
Brady Trujillo
Main: 503.588.5026
Fax: 503.588.5113
Referring to him as "Honorable" is no longer accurate. Write a letter to Presiding Judge Rhoades, and insist that Judge Day be stripped of his robe.
Honorable Jamese Rhoades, Presiding Judge, Courtroom 5C
Ashley Klein
Taylor Smoker
Main: 503.588.7950
Fax: 503.588.5115
Marion County Courthouse Mailing Address:
Salem, Oregon Salem, OR 97309
It appears that giving equal rights to a segment of our population has exposed the pervasiveness of bigotry and ignorance in our courts and government by way of religion. Guess we haven't come as far as we've pretended.
If religion is inserting itself into politics, then religion should lose its tax exempt status. For that matter, isn't it time we reconsider why religious organizations are given special treatment and therefore exempt from paying taxes, unlike the rest of us?
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*No copyright infringement is intended with the insertion of the above video excerpt. It is provided for educational and informative purposes only. All intellectual property elements and copyrighted material appearing on this blog are the property of their respective owners.
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