Here is the seventy-seventh article in our Republicans on Parade series, featuring individuals who personify what the Republican Party has become. Today’s honoree is Judge Scott Johansen , a Juvenile Court judge from Utah’s Seventh District. He is so honored for the Republican Family Values he is using to destroy a family.
April Hoagland and Beckie Peirce have been fostering a Utah infant for three months. With the approval of the infant’s biological mother and a recommendation of the foster care caseworker, they were seeking to permanently adopt the child. Instead, a Utah judge ordered the baby removed from their home and placed in a home with heterosexual parents:
The women, who are legally married and were approved as foster parents in Utah earlier this year after passing home inspections, background checks and interviews from DCFS, said the judge told them there was a lot of research that indicated children who are raised in same-sex parent homes do not do as well as children who are raised by heterosexual parents.
“It hurts me really badly because I haven’t done anything wrong,” said April.
Worse yet, when Judge Scott Johansen was asked in court to share the studies he was referencing, he refused:
Attorney Mandie Torgerson, who represents the baby’s biological mother, said Johansen did not cite the research he referenced in court saying only that there are “a myriad” of studies that support his order.
Inserted from <Daily Kos>
This interview with the mothers is not the same video clip as the one in the article, because it could not be embedded.
My heart goes out to April and Beckie. For that fascist judge to destroy a family in a manner both contrary to the law and based solely on his hatred for LGBT people, demonstrates two things about him. He is an evil man. He is a Republican.
15 Responses to “Republican’s on Parade–11/13/2015”
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yes. evil = republican
it is just that simple
And, of all places, in Utah. How did Utah suddenly gain the moral high ground on marriage?
God, this is hearatbreaking.
God, this is absolutely heartbreaking.
in the end the news seems that someway they are going to get the child back
It is unbelievable, just how mny jackasses swim up from the depths of th cultural cess pool!
The poor baby to have good bonding interrupted in that way–could have permanent developmental consequences related to trust and security. My heart breaks for all four of the victims of this judge who have been harmed–perhaps permanently due to his ignorance.
EXTRA! EXTRA! JUDGE REVERSES HIMSELF!
Good news – Johansen has reversed himself.
I can think of several more appropriate things he can go do to himself … but at least THIS one is G-Rated.
Johansen has reversed his decision, but hasn't rescinded it. Being the Republican he is and with the amount of backing in the past he's gotten for his biased judgments, he may still come up with some bogus "experts" who'll agree with him that gay parents are bad for children to grow up with and could still order the baby to be removed. So Johansen should be kept feeling the public pressure.
Excellent point, Lona!
I am so glad he reversed his decision. Hopefully, the couple will be able to keep the baby.
This Judge has no busines being on the bench especially not in cases concerning children. He had already been repremanded for slapping a 16-year old in his court and has been known to make some sharia-like judgements (making a mother cut of her daughter's ponytail in a public court and ordering a learning disabled juvenile into detention for a bad report card), but destroying a family and condemning a child to further foster care when it was up for adoption by a very loving pair of parents must be the lowpoint in his career.
Yet Scott Johansen was allowed to continue on the bench earlier by a review commission because he had such a bold style and was so fair. All this based on his lower than average survey scores for procedural fairness, separation of his personal beliefs from his legal rulings, and fair and respectful treatment of courtroom participants, right. There's nothing like a Republican committee to back and cover up for one of their brothers, isn't there. Just makes you wonder if Johansen is one of those judges who made it to the bench without ever having gone through any formal legal training at all. His "creativity" in sentencing seems to suggest just that.
An excellent addition to the Parade, TomCat.
The governor got involved in this and THAT is why he reversed himself! After all the viral stuff going around, he had to reverse his decision. Sorry POS!!!
This judge needs to RECUSE HIMSELF from ANY MORE adoptions! He cannot be unbiased when decisions are being made with different kinds of families!
Thanks all. The judge is a perfect candidate for a saguaro suppository!
I had read about him earlier. He is a Republicanus/Teabaggerum SOB who deserves to be defrocked, permanently. He knows nothing of justice.