Tennessee judge who ordered name change for baby Messiah fired

BY TIM GHIANNI

NASHVILLE, Tennessee Tue Feb 4, 2014 6:36pm EST

(Reuters) - A Tennessee judge who ordered a baby's name changed from Messiah to Martin, saying the former was reserved for Jesus Christ, has been fired, court officials said on Tuesday.

Child Support Magistrate Lu Ann Ballew of Cocke County in eastern Tennessee last August ordered a boy's first name changed over the objections of his parents when they appeared before her seeking to settle other issues.

O. Duane Slone, presiding judge of the state's fourth judicial district, terminated Ballew's appointment, effective last Friday, according to court documents.

Slone did not give a reason in his order, but Ballew had previously been cited by the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct for an inappropriate religious bias. A hearing is scheduled for March 3.

Ballew could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

The board's chair, Judge Chris Craft of Shelby County, said in a statement that the board still has jurisdiction over Ballew, even though she is no longer on the bench.

Craft wrote that it is the duty of the board to inquire into the "commission of any act calculated to reflect unfavorably upon the judiciary of the state."