Even on the surface, it seems like a judicial overstep for Magistrate Lu Ann Ballew to change a child's first name. An unwed couple ended up in dispute over what their infant's last name should be. On those grounds it makes sense for the courts to be used to settle the disagreement but this "judge" took it upon herself to change the child's first name, Messiah, while she was at it. Some may be tempted to brush this little news blurb aside as basically meaningless. It may have been unnecessary and stupid but what does it really matter? It matters, a lot.
There are any number of grey areas when it comes to Separation of Church and State but this incident is a blatant violation. Magistrate Ballew clearly stated, "The word Messiah is a title and it's a title that has only been earned by one person and that one person is Jesus Christ." Got that? As a judge, an official representative of the US government, she based a decision solely on a personal religious opinion. There can be no debate that she gave an official endorsement to Christianity. The 1st amendment states that government cannot do any such thing. The judiciary is suppose to uphold the constitution not shit on it!
Ballew needs to be removed from the bench. Passing judgement solely on personal opinions regardless of what the law says is both unethical and unprofessional. Judicial rulings based solely on religious opinion is also unseemly and likely unconstitutional (there's some room for debate) but being based on a specific religion is unquestionably unconstitutional.
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