Politics Chief Justice Alexander, in his own words
Weeks ago, we—meaning I—scheduled interviews with the state’s Supreme Court candidates in preparation for our annual endorsement issue. Then, one day before the interview, the justices announced they were upholding the gay marriage ban. Coincidence? Entirely. Fortuitous? Very.
Imagine a justice who voted to uphold DOMA trapped in a room with Dan Savage (wielding a framed picture of his son, DJ) and the rest of the Stranger Election Control Board, for an entire hour Well, you don’t have to just imagine the showdown! Here is Justice Gerry Alexander starring in “An Inquisition”:
The first half of the interview.
It’s nine minutes long, so here are some highlights: use of the phrase “child-rearing” (0:34), the sound of Dan placing a picture of his son on the table (0:50), discussion of “suspect class” (5:19), eight-second pause as Alexander ponders response to “Is homosexuality an immutable characteristic?”(5:55-6:03)
The second half of the interview.
Highlights: “How could you sign off on this prejudiced conjecture?” (0:50), state discrimination against children of gay parents (8:10), rationality of the legislature (9:10), support for the Pre-Copernican Awareness Act (11:30)
We edited out the portions of the interview that didn’t pertain to gay marriage and also everything said by Alexander’s opponent, John Groen. The voices you’ll hear demanding answers are members of the esteemed Stranger Election Control Board: Dan Savage, Eli Sanders, Josh Feit, and Annie Wagner. Guest star, Stranger publisher Tim Keck, also chimes in.
Interviews trying to glean opinions from justices are almost always fruitless, since judges cannot comment on cases that could possibly come before the court. The above interviews are probably the most you’ll hear Alexander talk about his decision — at least in an election year. Enjoy.
-s.mirk
"We edited out the portions of the interview that didn’t pertain to gay marriage"
Why?