Lawmakers block gay man from Va. judge seat
Source: WTVR
Lawmakers block gay man from Va. judge seat
The vote over Tracy Thorne-Beglands nomination as judge to the Richmond General District Courts ran late into Tuesday morning. At 1:13 a.m. , Del. Jennifer McClellan (D Richmond) announced lawmakers voted down Beglands nomination 33-31 with 10 abstentions. He needed 51 votes.
Del. Bob Marshall (R -Manassas) wanted Thorne-Begland, who is openly gay, removed from consideration because of the prosecutors past involvement with the gay rights movement, most notably his network interview about Dont Ask, Dont Tell.
I dont even think its proper to put his name forward because of his behavior, said Marshall, who called Thorne-Begland a homosexual activist, in a press release.
Read more: http://wtvr.com/2012/05/15/judge-nomination-of-tracy-thorne-begland-voted-down/
NorthCarolina
(11,197 posts)underpants
(182,802 posts)BTW- I just bought my daughter a spaghetti dinner at Loupassi's family restaurant in the Fan.
This article just gets sadder and sadder the more you read. An embarassment for the Commonwealth.
2 a.m.
A late-hour lobbying offensive by social conservatives prevailed in the House of Delegates early Tuesday to torpedo bipartisan support for the judicial nomination of an openly gay Richmond prosecutor
...
Thorne-Begland's nomination for a judgeship on the General District Court in Richmond, where he has been a prosecutor for 12 years, had been approved by courts committees in the House and Senate.
I would like to thank my sponsors, Senator Donald McEachin, and Delegates Jennifer McClellan and Manoli Loupassi and my family for their support," Thorne-Begland said in a statement issued following the vote, which occurred after 1 a.m.
But his nomination came under fire late last week, as the Family Foundation and Del. Robert G. Marshall, R-Prince William, stoked fears that the 45-year-old attorney would allow his sexual orientation to influence his judicial decisions.
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/virginia-politics/2012/may/15/22/house-of-delegates-rejects-thorne-begland-for-judg-ar-1914948/