The following letter has been sent to 30 officers and board members of the American
Judges Association.
Dear Judge,
I just noticed the website of the American Judges Association on the Internet.
Since you are an officer or board member of the association, I thought you might have some
suggestions as to how your group might help us educate judges, especially appellate
judges, about the impropriety of name calling.
In a majority of states, some appellate judges write opinions in which they refer to
children born to unmarried parents as "illegitimate children." I am sure that
you would agree that no child is "illegitimate" and that the continued use of
such pejorative terminology is inappropriate. In other words, this is a bad habit that can
change with awareness.
The American Association for Single People has launched a "Stop the Stigma"
Campaign to educate lawmakers about the existence of statutes which call non-marital
children "bastards" or "illegitimate." We also want to educate judges
about the inappropriateness of referring to such children as "illegitimate" in
judicial decisions.
For more information about this educational campaign, please visit our website at:
http://www.unmarriedamerica.com/stop-stigma.htm
Perhaps you could suggest ways in which we might address this issue in your state. Or
maybe you could recommend ways to address this issue through state, regional, or national
associations of which you are a member.
Thank you for taking the time to consider this request. I look forward to hearing from
you.
Respectfully yours,
Thomas F. Coleman
Executive Director
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