Judge Sued After Denying Name Changes For 3 Transgender Adolescents

The families of three transgender teens are suing an Ohio judge in federal court because he denied their request for a legal name change.

Probate and Juvenile Court Judge Joseph W. Kirby has allowed adults identifying as transgender to legally change their name, but has denied all transgender minors’ requests since March of this year, according to the lawsuit. A magistrate of the same court has granted the name change request to one transgender minor this year.

The lawsuit alleges that Kirby has “instructed that all name change applications from transgender persons be assigned to his docket for a hearing,” noting that name change applications are typically heard by a magistrate judge. “Judge Kirby has not conducted any name change hearings for non-transgender individuals,” the lawsuit states.

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