He amended his first ruling, crossing out the line in the order that read, “The Court orders the Division to place the child with a duly married, heterosexual foster-adoptive couple within one week”.
Advertisement
A Utah judge who was criticized for ordering a nine-month-old girl from the home of a lesbian couple who were fostering the child has disqualified himself from the case.
When Johansen ordered the 9-month-old baby taken away November 10, he mentioned research showing children do better when raised by heterosexual families.
Though Judge Scott Johansen had reversed his decision and allowed the 9-month-old baby to stay with the married women recommended by state welfare authorities, there were concerns he could still have the baby removed from their home in Price later on.
“We applaud Judge Johansen for recusing himself from this case”. It is not enough to simply refer to the Judge’s conduct as “puzzling” and suggest that he must follow the law. The American Psychological Association, however, has said there’s no scientific basis for believing that gays and lesbians are unfit parents based on sexual orientation.
Johansen reversed that decision last week amid widespread criticism from gay rights groups, the Republican governor and others.
The couple’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on Johansen’s decision to step aside.
The left-leaning Alliance for a Better Utah, which says its mission is “to drive a public narrative that empowers Utah’s electorate and holds public officials accountable”, launched an online petition on Change.org on Monday along with calls to the Utah Legislature to impeach the judge.
Judge Johansen has previously come under attack for his tactics.
Group founder Josh Kanter points to the judge’s previous controversial conduct, including a 1995 reprimand from the Utah Judicial Conduct Commission after he slapped a 16-year-old boy.
“Foster parents in this case have moved the Court for an order to disqualify the Judge”.
Advertisement
The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest gay- and transgender-rights advocacy group, filed a complaint against Johansen with Utah’s Judicial Conduct Commission on Friday.
