New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's Black gay Republican nominee to the state supreme court has already promised to recuse himself from any marriage equality case. Bruce Harris claims that he has previously "advocated for the issue," reports the AP.
Years ago, Harris, 61, wrote to several state senators asking for their support of a same-sex marriage bill being heard by the Senate in late 2009. Christie, a Republican who supports civil unions but opposes calling it marriage, said Harris volunteered the information about his writing.
"He told me he favored same-sex marriage, had advocated for it in his political capacity and as a result, if he were confirmed to the court, would recuse himself from that matter because he did not want there to be the appearance of bias," the governor recalled.
According to a copy of the mail, obtained by The Star-Ledger of Newark, Harris wrote:
"When I hear someone say that they believe marriage is only between a man and a woman because that's the way it's always been, I think of the many 'traditions' that deprived people of their civil rights for centuries: prohibitions on interracial marriage, slavery, (which is even provided for in the Bible), segregation, the subservience of women, to name just a few of these 'traditions.'"
Harris would become the state's first openly LGBT justice ... and the nation's first openly gay Black state supreme court justice. The corporate attorney was elected mayor of Chatham Borough in November. At that time, he became the nation's only openly gay Black Republican mayor.
Harris' appointment comes a year and a half after the Republican governor infuriated Democrats and minorities by replacing the court's only Black justice with a white Republican. Harris would replace veteran Back Democraic Justice John Wallace, who supported LGBT rights and marriage equality.
Judicial recusals usually happen on a case by case basis. It's rather odd for a judicial nominee to preemptively announce a recusal before confirmation ... and to make such a promise to the governor. Quid for quo?
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Does anyone think for a minute that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Scalia, who has made PUBLIC statements against same-sex marriage, is going to recuse himself when marriage equality cases come before the U.S. Supreme Court?
Posted by: elg | 01 February 2012 at 17:59
Great leave it up to straight judges who publicly oppose marriage equality to hear those cases. I have heard of gay Republicans before and have wondered how that could happen but gay black Republican? that is an oxymoron cubed.
Posted by: Joseph | 02 February 2012 at 06:48
Yeah Harris is a mess to recuse himself -- so very Black republican. What is he point? He, Harris, as a "professional" should be smart and intelligent enough to set aside his biases especially at this point in his career. I just don't get it.
Posted by: Kirk | 02 February 2012 at 07:09
By that logic he should recuse himself from all cases that involve men, black men, and bald men.
Posted by: Danielle @DeeTwoCents | 02 February 2012 at 12:46
YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING! I love it when I come up in here and the conversation is ALREADY ON FIRE!
The idea that he would have to recuse himself from cases about Black men would assume that he has rallied for or stood up for those issues, yet...NO ISSUE!
This is a MESS and I am really upset for this punkish step! I wanted to be excited about this nomination, but unlike Justice Sotomayor, who was willing to say I AM WHO I AM AND I AM NOT ASHAMED TO BE AN ADVOCATE, this punk is saying BEFORE YOU SAY ANYTHING, I'M JUST GOING TO GO SIT OVER HERE! BOOOOOOO, Boo!
Posted by: TheRevKev | 03 February 2012 at 09:38