SCOTUS: Georgia Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears "Strong" on Gay Rights

In the earlier post on the retirement of Supreme Court Justice David Souter, one of the names we mentioned as a potential successor is Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears. ABC News, The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and many others now report Sears is on the President's "short list" of possible nominees. Sears is a "strong" advocate on gay rights issues, Southern Voice reports:

Sears, who will also step down in June, has served on the state’s highest court since 1992. The first woman and youngest justice in the court’s history, she was also its first African-American female chief justice. Sears has kept her plans for her retirement private, although she has hinted at wanting a larger public role.

"I also believe in ‘get married, stay married,’ which a lot of right-wing people have co-opted that as their issue," she said. "But it’s not their issue, I thought it was my issue too. Political games are played with all kinds of issues and I don’t think issues belong to any one group."

Sears’ legal opinions on gay-related issues, including voting with the majority to overturn Georgia’s sodomy law, drew efforts from conservatives to unseat her. In 2004, Gov. Sonny Perdue and the Georgia Christian Coalition backed Grant Brantley in the race; Sears won easily.

Sears also opposed the legislature's ultimately successful attempt to place an anti same-sex marriage amendment on the ballot, writing in the dissent the process "would change the Constitution in more ways than one and thus 'amend the state Constitution by stealth.' "

The chief justice also wrote the majority opinion and the ended the imprisonment of  21-year-old Genarlow Wilson, who had been serving a 10-year sentence for having consensual oral sex with another teenager when he was 17-years-old. Sears said the harsh sentence was "grossly disproportionate" to the crime, which "did not rise to the level of culpability of adults who prey on children."

Comments

[Baltimore Femme]

I have heard this Justice Sears's name mentioned and didn't even know she was a sistah. And a very good friend of the gays? Yes ma'am, I am very impressed!

[FREELEO]

Oh we like her.

[Mad Professah]

I knew she was a sister but I didn't know that she was so progressive on LGBT issues and others.

That's great.

I do think he should go with a Latina pick though.

[alicia banks]

wow

she would be great

i would love to see michelle obama chosen too!

peace
ab

[Jones83]

I am having a field day reading up on the potential picks. Theresa Roseborough has also been mentioned she is chief general counsel for Metlife and also a sistah

[gurlene]

I do hope he chooses wisely. It would be nice if he could put Michele on the court but lets be real.

I also hope Clarence Thomas spends the rest of his life on the court. And may it be over before the last keystroke in this comment.

[mryan]

This woman won re-election to the Chief Justice seat, in a Republican state, after being targeted by the Republican party. And she won easily! If conservative redneck Georgians can elect an African American woman Chief Justice, what real opposition would the Senate 'Pubs put up? She would be a smart choice.

[Jim]

LOL @ gurlene.

What a great bait and switch. Me: "Oh, no! Not a d_mn right-winger here on Rod 2.0! Oh.....OK.....LOL."

[Cincinnati NAMjA]

Great to see the GA is moving ut of the past.

[Monica Roberts]

Word to some of you peeps.

Just because some of your African American family lives in the Deep South and Texas doesn't necessarily mean we AREN'T pushing for the same Afrocentric agenda you 'blue staters' are.

You're not having to fight the yahoo and batturd crazy GOP just to get it through.

But back to Chief Justice Sears.

She's be an excellent antidote to counter the sellout Uncle Thomas

[James]

OT: Im so glad that Oprah will be covering the stories of the 2 boys, who were bullied to death. Its on Wendsday.

[Kevin Perez]

This makes me smile. And that says a lot...