The Case Is Clear— Judge Who Removed Lesbian Couple’s Foster Child Should Be Removed From Office

What do you call a judge who refuses to abide by the law?

How about an ex-judge. Just when you think the country is making progress in equal rights for same-sex couples, someone in authority decides to defy established law. Yesterday, Utah juvenile court Judge Scott Johansen ordered a foster child to be removed from the home of the married couple who planned on adopting her because the parents were lesbians.

He said that “research” showed that children were better off in heterosexual households, and then refused to show where he got that information — which happens to be false. The judge has a long history of unacceptable behavior.

He ordered a teenager’s mother to cut off her daughter’s ponytail in exchange for a lighter sentence. He sentenced a boy on probation to jail for stealing a pack of gum and charged he had violated his parole by getting a poor report card. And he challenged home-schoolers in Utah to enroll their children in school, or face losing them to the foster system.

We expect our courts to uphold the law, not defy it. We demand our judges to respect the law, not ignore it. The decision is final–Judge Johansen should be removed from office today.

Contact: Tamara Stein, planner@now.org, (951) 547-1241