Tennessee DA Homophobic Acts

Lambda Legal, Tennessee Equality Project & Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Center of Rutherford County have filed a formal complaint with the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility calling for the investigation & disbarment of Coffee County District Attorney Craig Northcott following Northcott’s public statements that he does not file domestic assault charges if the violence occurred between gay & lesbian spouses because he does not recognize “homosexual marriage” & would not prosecute Tennessee county clerks who deny marriage licenses to gay & lesbian couples. Ethan Rice, Senior Attorney for the Fair Courts Project at Lambda Legal stated, “Coffee County DA Craig Northcott has denied the validity of same-sex marriages & the equal protection of the law to LGBT people. Such conduct violates ethics rules protecting citizens from bias & has no place within the very office designated to enforce the law of the land…District Attorney Northcott’s public comments revealed not only a bias against LGBT people but that he has made discriminatory charging decisions against an entire class of people & intends to continue to do so.” Christopher K. Sanders, Executive Director of Tennessee Equality Project & Tennessee Equality Project Foundation concluded, "LGBTQ people experiencing domestic violence are among the most vulnerable populations in Tennessee. Prosecutors have a duty to treat their cases with the same gravity as all other cases. Discrimination in prosecution endangers our community & erodes the public trust in the criminal justice system. We join Lambda Legal's complaint out of a solemn obligation to the LGBTQ community in Coffee County & a hope for equal protection of the laws."
Read Complaint…
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