Is Prop 8 Judge’s Sexual Orientation Relevant? LA Times Editor Thinks So
An editor at the Los Angeles Times is defending the newspaper’s decision to disclose that U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker is gay.
Assistant managing editor David Lauter says the sexual orientation of the judge who struck down California’s ban on gay marriages is relevant. The newspaper reported that Walker is gay, without revealing the source, just as it reported that the judge was nominated and appointed by Republican presidents.
“Both—ideology and sexuality—are factors that a reasonable person could see as having an impact on a judge’s view of a controversial issue such as same-sex marriage,” Lauter said. The Los Angeles Times quotes Lauter in its Readers’ Representative Journal, a column that deals with newsroom ethics and standards.
“Judges are human beings,” Lauter said, “and they bring the totality of their life experience to the cases on which they rule. As a result, certain aspects of their humanity are relevant to note in news stories. This is one of them.”
Lauter said Walker doesn’t comment publicly on his sexual orientation, but he attends public functions with his male partner, and his friends confirm he is gay.
