Lambda Legal Representing Equality Mississippi in Ethics Complaint Against Mississippi Judge

(ATLANTA, Monday, April 8, 2002) - Lambda Legal today strongly denounced a letter to a newspaper by a Mississippi judge suggesting that gays and lesbians be institutionalized and agreed to represent Equality Mississippi, a statewide civil rights group, in an ethics complaint against the judge.

“The letter is a clear statement of prejudice against gays and lesbians that calls into serious question whether the judge can decide cases fairly and impartially,” said Greg Nevins, staff attorney in Lambda Legal’s Southern Regional Office.

The George County Times on March 28 published a letter to the editor from Mississippi Justice Court Judge Connie Glenn Wilkerson in which the judge writes: “In my opinion, gays and lesbians should be put in some type of mental institute instead of having a [domestic partnership] law like this passed for them.”

Judge Wilkerson was referring to a recent Associated Press article about the ability of gay and lesbian survivors to sue for the wrongful death of their partners. “I got sick on my stomach as I read the news story…,” Judge Wilkerson wrote. The judge also invoked the Bible and Romans 1:32, which suggests that those who break God’s law “are worthy of death.”

“Judge Wilkerson’s letter shows that the era of bias and prejudice by Mississippi judges is not yet over, particularly for gays and lesbians,” said Jody Renaldo, executive director of Equality Mississippi, which works to advance the full equality and civil rights of Mississippi’s LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community. “The state is not served when its officials express bias against any group of people, and Judge Wilkerson needs to catch up with the times,” Renaldo added.

The Mississippi Code of Judicial Conduct specifically calls on judges to avoid “expressions of bias or prejudice,” including demeaning remarks based on “sexual orientation.”

The judge’s remarks come on the heels of an opinion by Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore in which he called gay people “abhorrent,” “immoral,” “detestable,” “an inherent evil,” and “inherently destructive to the natural order of society.” Lambda Legal filed an ethics complaint against Chief Justice Moore, but the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission rejected that complaint, claiming Moore’s comments are protected because they are part of a judicial opinion. Lambda Legal disputes this rationale, pointing out that even judicial opinions may not violate ethics requirements.

“We are extremely concerned about the rash of anti-gay statements from judges who are duty-bound to give a fair hearing to all,” said Hector Vargas, regional director of Lambda Legal’s Southern Regional Office. “These kinds of statements make gays and lesbians feel that the justice system is closed off to them,” Vargas added.

Lambda Legal is currently litigating a case in Hinds County, Mississippi on behalf of a four-year-old boy who has been denied a birth certificate by Mississippi officials because his adoptive parents are a lesbian couple.

Lambda Legal is the nation’s oldest and largest legal organization, dedicated to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, the transgendered, and people with HIV or AIDS. Headquartered in New York, Lambda Legal has regional offices in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, and will be opening an office in Dallas in June.

Contact: Greg Nevins 404/897-1880 ext. 30
Hector Vargas 404/897-1880 ext. 24
Jody Renaldo, Equality Mississippi 601/714-5639
Jennifer Grissom 212/809-8585 ext. 231; 888/987-1976 (pager)