MILWAUKEE (WI)
The New York Times
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
Published: October 1, 2013
A federal judge has refused to recuse himself from a case in which he ruled in favor of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee in bankruptcy proceedings, and against creditors, who include hundreds of sexual abuse victims. Judge Rudolph T. Randa denied the creditors’ motion suggesting that he had a conflict of interest because his family members are buried in archdiocesan cemeteries. Judge Randa had ruled in late July that the archdiocese did not have to turn over millions of dollars in its cemetery trust fund to the abuse victims and other creditors, because it would “substantially burden” the church’s free exercise of religion. In denying the recusal motion on Tuesday, Judge Randa wrote that the care and maintenance of his parents’ burial crypts will not be substantially affected by his decision.
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