Mar. 17, 2026
9th Circuit judges rebuke their colleague over 'vulgar' dissent
Twenty-seven judges say the opinion's language "makes us sound like juveniles, not judges" in dispute over transgender access to Korean spa. Judge Lawrence VanDyke agreed but said the language was necessary because the court's majority opinion avoided what the case was about.
Twenty-seven judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals publicly rebuked Judge Lawrence VanDyke for a dissent that began with the sentence, "This is a case about swinging dicks," warning it "makes us sound like juveniles, not judges" and risks undermining public confidence in the judiciary.
The rebuke came in a Thursday statement accompanying an order denying rehearing en banc in a First Amendment challenge to Washington'...
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