Planned Parenthood Arizona Files Motion Calling for Justice Montgomery to Recuse From Abortion Rights Case
For Immediate Release: Oct. 26, 2023
Contact: Feldman Strategies, [email protected]
PHOENIX — Today, and in light of recent reporting about state Supreme Court Justice William Montgomery’s previous prejudicial statements about Planned Parenthood Arizona (PPAZ) both on social media and at a protest outside PPAZ’s headquarters, PPAZ filed a motion for recusal requesting that Justice Montgomery recuse from Planned Parenthood Arizona v. Mayes.
In the motion, PPAZ argues that under the Arizona Code of Judicial Conduct, Justice Montgomery should recuse himself from the case based on his public proclamation in 2017 that PPAZ is “responsible for the greatest generational genocide known to man,” and his 2015 participation in a protest outside PPAZ’s headquarters during which he publicly accused PPAZ of, among other things, engaging in “profit-driven atrocities.”
The state Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments in Planned Parenthood Arizona v. Mayes in December and will decide whether prosecutors can enforce the state’s 1864 near-total abortion ban despite the Legislature having passed a law just last year that plainly allows physicians to perform abortions up to 15 weeks.
Kelley Dupps, Senior Director of Public Policy & Government Relations at Planned Parenthood Arizona, released the following statement in response to today’s motion:
"Planned Parenthood Arizona believes that all litigants in Arizona are entitled to have their cases heard by judges who are not biased against them, and that includes Planned Parenthood Arizona. After carefully evaluating the recent reporting showing Justice Montgomery’s bias against Planned Parenthood Arizona as an organization, we believe recusal is necessary in our case.”
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