Judge Leaves Bench in ‘Rescue’ Trial
A Los Angeles Municipal Court judge banished the jury and stormed off the bench on Tuesday after an anti-abortion crusader persisted in asking an abortion clinic official on the witness stand about killing children and whether he believed in God.
When Randall Terry, leader of Operation Rescue, asked Michael Monji, associate director of the Family Planning Associates clinic, whether he believed in God, Judge Richard Paez said the question was irrelevant, told the jury to disregard it and ordered Terry not to ask such questions.
Terry then asked Monji if he knew of any other business “that engages in the killing of children” and the judge repeated his instructions.
Finally, after Terry asked Monji if he expected to be “held accountable before God” for his actions, Paez ordered Terry to sit down, temporarily dismissed the jury and left the bench.
After a five-minute recess, Paez returned, screened Terry’s questions and disallowed all of them.
Terry is one of five defendants charged with trespassing and resisting arrest at a March 25 protest outside the clinic.
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