Proposition 8 Judge: Being Gay Wasn’t Relevant and Didn’t Require Recusal
The now-retired federal judge who struck down California’s ban on gay marriages says he never considered recusing himself because he is gay.
Former U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker didn’t confirm his sexual orientation when the San Francisco Chronicle disclosed he was gay during the trial, the Keen News Service reports. On Wednesday, he acknowledged being gay but said it wasn’t relevant, according to stories in the San Francisco Chronicle and Reuters.
“If you thought a judge’s sexuality, ethnicity, national origin [or] gender would prevent the judge from handling a case, that’s a very slippery slope,” he said.
Walker ruled last year that Proposition 8 violates the equal protection clause. Supporters of the Proposition 8 ballot referendum banning gay marriage never did ask for his recusal.
