Utah Judge Who Ordered Baby's Removal from Lesbian Foster Family Removes Himself from Case Following Public Outcry and Scrutiny

Remember the recent case of the Utah judge who ordered the removal of a baby from its pre-adoptive foster parents because they are lesbians? Remember how he wanted the baby placed with a heterosexual foster family because science has proved that pairing a vagina with a penis is automatically better than mixing parental vaginas? Remember how the birth mother was pissed because she wanted her child adoptive by this particular foster family? Remember how Utah's DCFS filed a motion to block the removal of the baby? And then remember how Judge Scott Johansen decided to partially reverse his removal order -- instead scheduling a permanency hearing on December 4th to further consider this case?

We learned today that Judge Johansen has now removed himself from this case:

A juvenile court judge in Utah who drew criticism for removing a foster child from the home of a lesbian couple has recused himself from the case. 

Apparently agreeing to a motion filed by the couple, Judge Scott Johansen issued an order Monday that he “hereby disqualifies himself from this case and refers all pending matters to the Presiding Judge.” 

Johansen, a juvenile court judge in eastern Utah, had drawn the ire of gay rights activists and others, including former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, for removing the 9-month-old baby from the home of Beckie Peirce and April Hoagland, who had fostered the child for three months. The couple was seeking to adopt the child.

It's still possible, of course, that the new judge will simply continue Judge Johansen's earlier work. But it's highly unlikely.