Allegations Against Judge Who Offended Gays Made Public

The state Commission on Judicial Conduct has made public allegations against a state judge who enraged gay activists and civil rights groups with his remarks about homosexuals.

After a court hearing Thursday, lawyers for District Judge Jack Hampton and the commission said they had agreed to release the contents of “formal proceedings” sparked by more than 2,000 complaints against the judge.

The allegations cite comments Hampton made in December to the Dallas Times Herald and the Associated Press, and remarks court personnel in Hampton’s office allegedly made to callers protesting the judge’s statements.

Hampton told the newspaper that he gave a lighter sentence to convicted killer Richard Bednarski, 18, partly because his two victims were “queers.”

The commission charges allege that Hampton’s remarks violated the Code of Judicial Conduct, which prohibits a judge from publicly commenting on a pending case. Hampton is also charged with violating the code that requires a judge to conduct himself in a manner that promotes public confidence in the impartiality of the judiciary.

Bednarski was convicted of killing Tommy Trimble, 34, and John Griffin, 27, and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. He could have received a maximum life sentence.

“I do not care much for queers cruising the streets picking up teen-age boys,” Hampton told the Times Herald. “I’ve got a teen-age boy.”

The same day that was published, he told AP Network News: “The victims were homosexuals. They were out in the homosexual area picking up teen-age boys. Had they not been out there trying to spread AIDS around, they’d still be alive today.”