Del. Bob Marshall Says Judicial Nominee Is Unfit Because He's Gay

Proving once again that he's a complete nasty, bigoted ass (and that Rep. James Lankford clearly isn't the only total asshole within the GOP), Virginia Delegate Bob Marshall (pictured at left) - one of the architects of Virginia's anti-gay Marshall-Newman Amendment and who has admitted that he'd like to drive all gays from Virginia - is challenging the nomination of Richmond prosecutor Tracy Thorne-Begland for the Richmond, Virginia, General District Court bench.  Like Rep. Lankford in the prior post, Marshall seems to suggest that being gay is a choice and a "behavior."  Among Marshall's allegations is that Thorne-Begland (who I know) is incapable of impartiality.  Never mind that General District Court cases virtually never involve gay rights issues since such courts have limited jurisdiction.  Obviously, Marshall (who I suspect believes that the only good gay is a dead gay) is projecting his own total inability to be impartial onto Thorne-Begland.  Marshall, who is consumed religious based bigotry and homophobia, could not in my opinion be impartial if his life depended on it.  WTVR-TV has coverage on Marshall's latest anti-gay jihad: 

RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR)–A Richmond prosecutor is being challenged as a judicial nominee, because of his advocacy for gay rights.

When the General Assembly meets on Monday, lawmakers will vote to appoint several judges.

It’s not usually a process that creates a lot of buzz, but this time around it is.  Delegate Bob Marshall said he will seek to remove the name of Richmond prosecutor Tracy Thorne-Begland from a list of proposed District Court judicial appointments.  “I don’t even think it’s proper to put his name forward because of his behavior,” said Marshall, who called Thorne-Begland “a homosexual activist,” in a press release.

Thorne-Begland has been nominated to serve as a judge for Richmond’s General District Court, but, Marshall challenges the nomination on the grounds of the prosecutor’s sexual orientation.  “We have a constitution which says marriage is between one man and one woman and if he’s taking an oath, he has to uphold and defend that as a judge,” said Marshall.  “If his lifestyle is exactly contrary to that… I don’t see how he could do that,” he said.

“I think it’s unfortunate, said Democratic Senator Donald McEachin.”Tracy fought for this country.”
More than 20 years ago, Thorne-Begland graduated at the top of his class from Navy flight school in Pensacola, Fla.

McEachin, Thorne-Begland’s sponsor in the Senate, says that Marshall is ignoring the prosecutor’s record.
“Bob just has a phobia…that’s the real problem,” said McEachin.  McEachin went on to say Thorne-Begland is no different from the other nominees.

“Everyone has a background who comes onto the bench, but, we select judges to be able to put aside their backgrounds, to put aside whatever personal passions they have to be a judge,” said McEachin.

Marshall truly will not be happy until he makes Virginia a worldwide laughingstock.  If Marshall had his way, all Virginians would be Kool-Aid drinking, Bible beating  Neanderthals.   And gays are not Marshall's only targets in his quest to drag Virginia back into the Dark Ages.  He also sponsored some of the most anti-women's rights bills in the Virginia General Assembly, including a "personhood" bill for fertilized eggs that fortunately died this year.