The Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith has asked California’s Judicial Commission to dismiss recently appointed judge, claiming his objectivity is tainted by his religious beliefs. In a letter to the commission, the ADL said Fresno Municipal Court Judge Hugh Goodwin was critical of the First Amendment which safeguards the separation of church and state. According to the ADL, Goodwin has said: “Any religion or form of government that is not based on Jesus Christ and the belief that only through Christ can one obtain personal salvation is doomed to destruction.”
Joshua Kheel, the ADL’s Pacific Southwest regional president, said in the letter: “A comment such as this…would be sufficient to arouse concern about the manner in which a member of the bench would treat those who come before him whose religion he perceives as not one of ‘equal validity’ and, therefore, ‘doomed to destruction.'” Kheel added: “It has been reported to us that the judge has conditioned probation and avoidance of jail for a guilty defendant on mandatory church attendance.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
