National Organization for Marriage on Reports Prop. 8 Judge is Gay

National Organization for Marriage executive director Brian Brown has responded to the San Francisco Chronicle's column reporting that federal judge Vaughn Walker, who is presiding over the Prop. 8 case, is gay, attacking the judge not for his sexual orientation but for being biased.

A column in Sunday's Chronicle called Walker's sexual orientation the "biggest open secret in the landmark trial over same-sex marriage." Brown, in a blog post on NOM's website, says he has no idea if the article is true, but says Walker has taken a one-sided stance throughout the trial.

Reads Brown's statement: "In a story this Sunday, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Prop 8 Judge Vaughn Walker is gay and called his orientation 'the biggest open secret in the landmark trial over same-sex marriage.' We have no idea whether the report is true or not. But we do know one really big important fact about Judge Walker: He's been an amazingly biased and one-sided force throughout this trial, far more akin to an activist than a neutral referee. That's no secret at all. Protect Marriage, the defendants in this case, are effectively being held hostage by Judge Walker and cannot really comment. ...

"Judge Walker's bias has been so extreme, he's earned a rare judicial 'twofer.' Key elements of his 'fishing expedition' rulings were already reversed by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (notably one of the most liberal in the nation) and the Supreme Court had to step in to block his illegal attempt to broadcast the trial. It is highly unusual for a higher court to have to intercede in a trial judge's handling of a trial while it is going on -- yet Walker has had that 'distinction' twice in the same case -- and we're not yet even at closing arguments. There's only one saving grace to Judge Walker's bias. It's so big, and so obvious, not only the American public but the Supreme Court itself is already aware we have bias in the trial judge presiding."