In a significant legal development, U.S. District Judge Liles Burke has sanctioned three lawyers involved in LGBTQ rights litigation for engaging in “judge shopping,” a practice where attorneys attempt to select a judge they believe will be more favorable to their case.
This decision comes as part of a broader legal battle over Alabama’s ban on gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth.
Judge Burke’s ruling reprimanded Carl Charles of Lambda Legal and Melody Eagan and Jeffrey Doss of Lightfoot, Franklin & White for their actions.
The sanctions include a public reprimand for all three attorneys, with Eagan and Doss disqualified from continuing to serve in the underlying litigation. Charles was also fined $5,000 and referred for potential criminal investigation due to alleged perjury during the inquiry.
The case began when lawyers representing plaintiffs in the litigation attempted to avoid having their case heard by Judge Burke, whom they perceived as unfavorable due to his appointment by former President Donald Trump. The lawyers initially filed cases in different districts, only to have them consolidated and assigned to Burke. They then voluntarily dismissed these cases and filed a new one in an attempt to secure a more favorable judge.
Judge Burke emphasized that “judge shopping” undermines the integrity of the judicial system, eroding public confidence in judicial impartiality and burdening courts with unnecessary procedural complications.
Lambda Legal and Lightfoot, Franklin & White have expressed disagreement with the decision, stating that their attorneys acted in accordance with legal standards and will be vindicated in further proceedings.
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