The Guardian: Virginia Thrown Into Equality Wrangle After Rejection of Gay Judge

The Guardian (UK) reports on the blocked judicial appointment of Tracy Thorne-Begland, an openly gay local prosecutor in Richmond, Virgina. Lambda Legal's Fair Courts Project Manager Eric Lesh is quoted in the article:

The LGBT civil rights group Lambda Legal said the Virginia action was part of a broader strategy across the nation to undermine fairness and impartiality within the judiciary. Eric Lesh, of the group's fair courts project, said that up to now the focus had been on specific court rulings, such as the judgment of US district judge Vaughn Walker blocking California's gay marriage ban, Proposition 8.

Walker became the target of sustained attacks from socially conservative groups after it was revealed that he was in a long-term gay relationship, though the appeals court later ruled that his personal circumstances had no bearing on his judicial involvement in the case. "There have been several cases of bullying of judges over rulings with which various interest groups did not agree," Lesh said.

Read the Guardian article

Read Fair Courts Project Manager Eric Lesh's analysis of the vote

Read more about the attacks on former US district Judge Vaughn Walker