Last night, I checked the ABC 4 website for more information about President Hinckley's story, and I came across another story that had some personal relevance.Leslie Lewis, a Utah criminal court Judge, has come under the scrutiny of the media for her controversial statements and rulings.
About 3 weeks ago I attended an afternoon of public hearings where Judge Lewis laid down the law on several substance abusers and even one murderer who she gave a life sentence to. She reminded me of Utah's version of Judge Judy. She was opinionated, firm, and frequently interjected personal vignettes into her decisions. For this reason it came as no surprise when I read the ABC 4 report on Judge Lewis and her taped comments about the LDS practice of baptism.
The tape comes from a hearing addressing problems between a divorced couple on arranging parent time. At the end of the discussion Judge Lewis asks if there is anything else to discuss, and the father's attorney brings up that he would like to baptize his daughter in the LDS church, but the child in question had told her father that her mother didn't approve.
Then came Judge Lewis' opinion:
Judge Lewis stated that a decision of this nature must be made jointly between parents. Then she added, "And may I add my own personal story. That same thing was done to me and I have resented it lo, these many years."
Judge Lewis continued, saying that people are too young at the age of eight to make a decision of the magnitude of baptism. She then ruled, "The child is too young. The child will make the decision when she is twelve."
I tried to reason why this story was coming out now, almost a year later, and it appears that the media is following up on other negative reports about Judge Lewis (See report, ABC.com)
Being LDS I found her comments mildly offensive, mainly because they were somewhat unwarranted. On the other hand, it was the father's attorney who brought the whole religion issue to the forefront. Should a judge have a right to rule on such matters when they are brought out by the attorneys? I don't know, but having sat in her courtroom and listened to how she judged I think she handled her cases with a fair amount of justice and wisdom. Nonetheless, there seems to be a lot of controversy over her opinionated interjections.
What are your thoughts about Judge Lewis? How should Utah and the LDS population respond to her public comments? Or, should this issue just be dropped completely?
Being LDS I found her comments mildly offensive, mainly because they were somewhat unwarranted. On the other hand, it was the father's attorney who brought the whole religion issue to the forefront. Should a judge have a right to rule on such matters when they are brought out by the attorneys? I don't know, but having sat in her courtroom and listened to how she judged I think she handled her cases with a fair amount of justice and wisdom. Nonetheless, there seems to be a lot of controversy over her opinionated interjections.
What are your thoughts about Judge Lewis? How should Utah and the LDS population respond to her public comments? Or, should this issue just be dropped completely?
2 comments:
I just don't understand how she can bring religion into a Divorce case. I've seen many divorce cases (my dad being a lawyer and all) and i've seen LDS members getting divorces and the wives using the baptism of their child against the husband. The only difference is that the child was getting baptised but the father was not the one performing the ordinance. I'm against this woman, because she uses way too much personal oppinion. How can she put restraints on Religion in a legal case.
Obviously like many Judges this one does not know when to rule and when to keep her mouth shut. Although i don't find this as too big of a deal and I doubt she legally has the jurisdiction to determine when a child can decide to be baptized it is still a good example of the egomaniacs that sit on some of the seats as judges.
And she not only has a different opinion from most of Utah but the Prophet of the Restoration and all succeeding prophets in this dispensation as well.
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