Congratulations to Judge D. Zeke Zeidler of the Los Angeles Superior Court, who was named the Wilmont Sweeney Juvenile Court Judge of the Year for 2024 by the Juvenile Court Judges of California, a section of the California Judges Association. The award is presented to a Juvenile Court judicial officer who exemplifies leadership and innovative dedication to California’s youth. The announcement was made during JCJC’s annual meeting on May 9, 2024. A three-term LGBTQ+ Judges president and current board member, Judge Zeidler has been a juvenile court judge for more than 26 years, serving as a Superior Court Referee for more than six years before being elected as Superior Court Judge in 2004. He guides, mentors, informs, teaches, and inspires other judicial officers, including as faculty for new judge orientation and the juvenile dependency primary assignment course. He also mentors LGBTQ+ law students in the greater Los Angeles area.

We held our Annual Meeting yesterday, and we’re proud to say it was the largest gathering of LGBTQ+ judges ever! It’s been great to be together again. Our conference events continue through Saturday. 🏛️🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Our 2024 Annual Meeting and Conference is underway in Washington, D.C., and we’re excited! Here are some friendly and familiar faces — and cool LGBTQ+ Judges swag — at our registration table.

We’re happy to announce that LGBTQ+ Judge Ashely Chan has been designated Chief Judge of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Prior to taking the bench, Judge Chan was a shareholder at Hangley, Aronchick, Segal, Pudlin & Schiller and concentrated her practice in the areas of bankruptcy and corporate restructuring. She is a 1996 graduate of Rutgers School of Law – Camden, where she received Tax Honors with Distinction and received the Rutgers Pro Bono Publico Award. She is an adjunct professor at Temple Law School where she teaches a course on commercial bankruptcy practice and procedure. Congratulations, Judge Chan, on your well-deserved appointment!

Our Association remembers Judge David Gernant, who served on the bench in Portland, Oregon, and was the first openly gay man to serve as a judge in Oregon. David most recently lived in Plainwell, Michigan, and died in Buenos Aires on January 9, 2024, at the age of 80 of complications of malaria.

Here is Judge Garnant’s obituary for you to copy and paste. He had a distinguished legal career and a remarkable life:

https://obits.mlive.com/us/obituaries/kalamazoo/name/david-gernant-obituary?id=54557593

We mourn the passing of Justice Michael (Mike) James Callaghan. He died of kidney cancer on April 23, 2024, at the age of 52, after a five-year fight. Mike grew up in Sarnia, Ontario, moving to Toronto after law school in Halifax, and spent his life spreading kindness and good humour. He was interested in everything and charmed everyone who had the good fortune of knowing him. Mike was an outspoken advocate for justice from an early age and was an engaged citizen of Canada, including being bilingual and a strong champion for a united Canada that proudly included Québec.

Among the participants in the 2024 Tokyo Pride Parade were Ontario Court of Justice’s Judge Brian Weagant and his husband Lek, who were in Japan for three weeks from their Canadian home visiting friends in Japan’s judiciary. They attended Tokyo Pride with a judge from the Japan Supreme Court, Trial Division, and his partner. They remarked that the public’s attendance at the festival was huge, and remarkably inclusive. Families of many different circumstances were there - many with their children - to join in the celebration. Of particular surprise to Judge Weagant and Lek was that Canada’s embassy had a kiosk at the Pride merch fair. Way to go, Canada! 🇨🇦🇯🇵

On June 13, 2024, the Massachusetts Superior Court honored former Association President and founding member Judge Linda Giles by unveiling her commissioned portrait. Appointed by Gov. William Weld in 1991, Judge Giles was the first openly lesbian judge in Massachusetts and served with distinction for more than 29 years. Present at the first International Association of LGBTQ+ Judges meeting in 1993, Judge Giles has been a fixture on our board of directors. She is an inspiration and role model to all who know her.

Judge Steve Lachs was the founding President of our organization. He became the first openly gay judge in the world in 1979 when Governor Jerry Brown appointed him to the Los Angeles County Superior Court. The headline in the Los Angeles Times read, “Brown Appoints Avowed Homosexual to Judgeship in Unprecedented Action.”

Judge Lachs actually first became a judicial officer in 1975, when he was elected by the judges of the Los Angeles County Superior Court to serve as a Commissioner. In 1992, Judge Lachs and Judge Mary Morgan (San Francisco) began talking about forming an organization, and the next year the International Association of Lesbian and Gay (now LGBTQ+) Judges was created. Our website contains a 1995 letter from Judge Lachs to our members.

In 2022 our organization had planned to honor Judge Lachs at our annual meeting in Los Angeles, but he wasn’t able to attend. We had planned to present him with a proclamation signed by all five members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. Nearly two years later, on March 22, 2024, we finally had the pleasure to present him with the proclamation at his home in Rancho Mirage.

The final clause of the proclamation reads: “Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Board of Supervisors of the County of Los Angeles hereby congratulates the Honorable Stephen Lachs for paving the way for future LGBTQ+ attorneys and judges.”

We’re thrilled to announce that Justice Monica Márquez was sworn in last week as the new Chief Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court. She becomes the first Latina and first LGBTQ+ person to lead the Colorado judiciary. Congratulations Chief Justice Márquez! 🎉

The Massachusetts Bar Association presented the MBA President’s Award to the Hon. Angela M. Ordoñez of the Barnstable Probate and Family Court at the MBA Annual Dinner on Thursday, May 2. The President’s Award is bestowed upon those individuals who have made a significant contribution to the work of the MBA, to the preservation of MBA values, to the success of MBA initiatives, and to the promotion of the MBA leadership role within the legal community of Massachusetts.

Ordoñez has been a judge since 2000, when she was initially appointed by Gov. Paul Cellucci as an associate justice of the Nantucket Probate and Family Court. In 2008, Gov. Deval Patrick appointed Ordoñez as an associate justice of the Norfolk Probate and Family Court. Ordoñez served as first justice in Nantucket and Norfolk divisions. Prior to joining the Barnstable Probate and Family Court, she served from 2013-2018 as chief justice of the Probate and Family Court Department.

Ordoñez initiated and implemented, and is co-chair of, the MBA Tiered Community Mentoring Program, which began in 2008. The mentoring program matches attorneys with law students, college students and high school students. The TCM Program has been honored on two occasions by the American Bar Association: the 2011 ABA Partnership Award and the 2019 Embracing Diversity Challenge.

Our Association hosted its second annual Northern California spring social on Thursday, April 11, in San Francisco. Thank you to all the members in attendance who made this a lively and entertaining event!

Congratulations to Judge Markeith Wilson, who was sworn in earlier this year as a full-time judge on the Juvenile Court of DeKalb County, Georgia. Among other things, Judge Wilson serves on the board of directors of the Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia.

Here is Judge Wilson’s biography:

Judge Markeith Wilson received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from North Carolina A&T State University in 2001 and his law degree from the Georgia State University School of Law in 2010. He has practiced juvenile law, family law, criminal law, and personal injury law. He previously served as a judge pro tempore on the DeKalb County Juvenile Court from 2018 until his appointment as a full-time judge. Judge Wilson also served as an officer in the United States Air Force, obtaining the rank of Captain. He is a member of the Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia, DeKalb Lawyers Association, DeKalb Bar Association, Leadership DeKalb, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.