Attorney Seeks Judge's Recusal for Being Catholic

Mirror of Justice reports:

An attorney in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida has filed a motion for recusal of U.S. District Court Judge William Zloch from an employment case for bias, based on his "deep religious beliefs." Law.com reports that:

In a 110-page motion for recusal filed last month, Spolter cited Zloch's hiring of several law clerks from Ave Maria Law School, a donation to the Roman Catholic school and his attendance at several junkets for judges sponsored by conservative organizations.

The motion itself is offensive on so many levels it's hard to know where to begin, but most salient perhaps is the fact that supportive statements from lawyers who have appeared before him representing clients like abortion clinics and strippers all claim that he is scrupulously fair. As "evidence" of bias, the attorney charges that:

Zloch has employed more law clerks from Ave Maria -- three in all -- than any other judge in the nation. Currently, two of his three clerks are Ave Maria graduates.

The school lists Zloch as one of its advocates, featuring him among its "honor roll of donors" for contributing $100 to $500 in 2004.

"Having faculty with strong beliefs favoring one end of the political spectrum would not be troublesome in and of itself," according to Spolter's motion. "It does, however, become problematic when a judge rewards and endorses a law school -- through monetary contributions and by aggressively hiring its graduates as law clerks -- when the faculty is comprised solely of those advocating a certain limited range of political and religious beliefs."

My Comments:
There go those "deeply held beliefs" again. Any chance this lawyer seeking the judge's recusal has the last name "Schumer"?


UPDATE (17 August)
The Catholic League weighs in:

CATHOLIC JUDGE BASHED BY DUI LAWYER

August 16, 2007

Florida attorney Loring Spolter has formally petitioned the U.S. District Court seeking the recusal of U.S. District Judge William Zloch on the grounds that the judge exercises religious bias.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue took Zloch’s side today:

“If anyone wants to see anti-Catholicism in action, keep an eye on Loring Spolter—the man is still at large. Ironically, Spolter’s affidavit not only fails to detail a single instance of religious bias on the part of Judge Zloch, it offers concrete proof of his own bigotry.

“Spolter is angry that Zloch has a close association with Ave Maria Law School, a Catholic law school in Michigan (it will move to Florida in 2009). Specifically, he is upset that two of the judge’s three clerks are Ave Maria graduates and that Zloch contributes to the law school.

“Spolter thinks he has a slam dunk case by citing the following—to him indictable—information: Ave Maria adheres to Pope John Paul II’s encyclical letter ‘Fides et Ratio’ (Faith and Reason), and it promises a ‘distinctive legal education’ that is ‘characterized by the harmony of faith and reason.’ Worse, Spolter argues, Ave Maria addresses ‘moral truths’ and even has the audacity to emphasize ‘the inherent dignity of every human being stemming from our creation in the image and likeness of God and raised to a new level of our redemption in Jesus Christ.’

“When Joe McCarthy played his infamous guilt-by-association card, he at least got it right when he identified communist cells as evil. By contrast, Spolter’s attempt to demonize Ave Maria—and by extension Judge Zloch—is laughable. In any event, it would be instructive to know if Spolter, who unlike McCarthy is Jewish, thinks it’s kosher for Jewish judges to hire clerks from Yeshiva University and to make contributions to the school.

"Spolter needs to take a more sober approach to his work and go back to doing what he does best—defending drunken drivers from their accusers."

(Hat tip: Custos Fidei)

Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
Partial-Birth Bigotry: The Know-Nothing Left Blames the Latest Abortion Ruling on Catholicism

William Pryor Says Faith Helps His Role as Judge

Slate: The Political Advantages Of Catholic Justices

Fidelis Warns Senators on Questioning of Roberts on Religion

Religious Tests - Where Some Dems Want To Go, But Shouldn't

No Religious Test

Is Judge Roberts a "Serious Catholic"?

New York Post: "Roberts Critics' Agenda of Hate"

Fidelis on Roberts Nomination: “Hearings Are Ripe For Anti-Religious Bigotry”

Launch of New Catholic Conservative Org: Fidelis

Charles Krauthammer on the "Schumer Doctrine"

Up or Down - Religion, Filibusters, & Judges