Appeals court narrowly rules it's okay for bankruptcy court judge George Paine II to keep membership in all-white Belle Meade Country Club, despite it's long history of discrimination.
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals court has narrowly ruled that the membership of federal Judge George Paine II to all-white Belle Meade Country Club does not violate the judicial code of conduct, though several of the justices strongly dissented on the grounds that it was improper for the judge to belong to the country club, located in Nashville, TN, that has a clear record of discrimination, according to the NY Times.
The club has never had a woman or a black man as a resident member — the only category in which people are allowed to vote and hold office — in its 110-year history. Situated in the wealthy Nashville suburb of Belle Meade, the white-columned club with a swimming pool and golf course counts the city's business and legal elite among its 1,000 or so members.
An anonymous woman complained to the appeals court's chief judge in May 2008 that Paine's membership violates a code of conduct that says judges "should not hold membership in any organization that practices invidious discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, or national origin." Source
How can a judge, who has to be impartial on the bench, be a part of an obviously discriminatory establishment and be expected to rule to the best of his ability? I would certainly not want to be part of any institution that deliberately excluded women and blacks from among its ranks. Why am I not surprised this club is in the Deep South?
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