Tracy Thorne-Begland denied judicial appointment because of gay activism

Nathan Cushing — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:55:05 +0000

After a discussion that lasted well into the early Tuesday morning hours, the House of Delegates rejected the nomination of Tracy Thorne-Begland as a judge in the General District Court. Thorne-Begland would be the first openly gay judge to serve in Virginia.

The current Chief Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney needed a majority of the 100-member House. He received 33 votes, with all 31 Republicans voting against him.

Thorne-Begland’s appointment was criticized by Del. Bob Marshall (R - Prince William) who thought that Thorne-Begland’s homosexual activism would compromise the judicial role.

I spent time with Tracy Thorne-Begland last August. He spoke with me about being discharged from the military twice for being gay, appearing with Ted Koppel on Nightline, and a whole host of other things. You can read my profile of him.

Ho there, reader of RSS feeds! Do you ever want to support RVANews in a real and tangible way? Or at least pay a small penance for reading ad-free content? If so, support us on Patreon for a couple bucks a month!