A Texas municipal court judge has been placed on unpaid leave because it was discovered that she is not a US citizen. Judge Young Min Burkett was hired in March 2015. It was recently discovered that she does not have citizenship in the united States of America.
Chairman of the Municipal Court Committee, Councilwoman Lucy Rubio, said that Ms. Burkett's rulings will still stand.
What? Her rulings still stand? I have a simple question, would Mr. Burkett not have had to lie in order to obtain the job? Is there no question on her application that would ask if she were a US citizen? If so, why is she not being prosecuted?
Instead of prosecution, Rubio says that Burkett has 90 days to become a US citizen. She also said she is still able to work in the US.
How can that be? Does she have a valid visa or work permit?
"She's a great lady," said Rubio of Burkett. "She's a hard worker. Very smart. Very, I mean, just great person, but because she doesn't have that qualification, you know, unfortunately, we had to tell her that she couldn't, be removed from the bench and she could not serve."
Rubio says that she doesn't understand how human resources missed the fact that Burkett was not a US citizen.
Still, Ms. Rubio claims, "She's a very fair lady. I've gotten no complaints from her. Everybody that has worked with her says she's very pleasant. She's a hard working individual and would rule very fairly."
How can you claim a woman is fair who has apparently not been up front about the requirements of the job demanding that she be a US citizen?
This is excuse making no matter how "great" a person Ms. Burkett is.
However, at least one person voiced outrage at what went on.
Councilwoman Carolyn Vaughn said, "I just think it's terrible. It's just, I am so disgusted with it."
She points out that though human resources missed this vital piece of information, the council approves all municipal judges, so ultimately, it falls on people like Ms. Rubio and Ms. Vaughn.
"We're talking about a judge that's not a citizen of the United States and she's sitting up there ruling on our citizens. I mean, to me, that is a simple thing that should have been checked out," Vaughn says.
So, why didn't you check it out, Ms. Vaughn? Did you not approve Ms. Burkett to the bench?
Burkett is set to go to San Antonio to expedite her citizenship application, according to Rubio.
Why is this important? Well, we are commanded by God to not let foreigners reign over us nor judge us (Deuteronomy 17:15).
While it's good that Burkett seeks citizenship, shouldn't she have done this before? She knew she was not a citizen and yet, she sat on a bench as though she were one of us and delivered verdicts against people who committed crimes. Perhaps some of those verdicts might be very close to the lying she engaged in when she took the position as judge.