Spanking In The News

[garyspk]

Los Fresnos family sues JP over courtroom spankings
BROWNSVILLE, Texas — A Los Fresnos family is going to court to try to prevent a Cameron County justice of the peace from ordering spankings in his courtroom.

The lawsuit filed Wednesday alleges that Justice of the Peace Gustavo "Gus" Garza told a 14-year-old girl's stepfather that she would be found guilty of a criminal offense and fined $500 for truancy unless the stepfather spanked her in the courtroom.

The lawsuit filed by Mary Vasquez and her husband, Daniel Zurita, described the paddle provided by Garza as large and heavy and fashioned from a thick piece of lumber.

"The word 'club' could be fairly used as a substitute for the word 'paddle' here as it appears to be something which may have been cut from a (two-by-four) piece of lumber," attorney Mark Sossi wrote in the family's petition. "The paddles provided by the judge are of such heft and weight that an individual striking an animal with one might be reasonably reported for cruelty to an animal."

In a story for Thursday's editions of The Brownsville Herald, Garza declined to comment on whether he has people spanked in his courtroom. He also said he had not seen the lawsuit.

The lawsuit asks a state district court to stop the spankings and remove Garza from office.

The family alleges in the lawsuit that Garza told Zurita to strike his stepdaughter repeatedly on the buttocks in open court.

Zurita said he didn't feel as if he had a choice but to follow the order. When he was through, the judge told him he had not struck the girl hard enough, Zurita said in an affidavit.

Vasquez said she had seen the judge order other public spankings.

"It is unconscionable that a Texas judge would order a parent, much less a step parent, be required to strike a child with such a thing in a Texas courtroom," the family's attorney wrote in a footnote on the petition. "It is equally unconscionable that an argument could be made that such an order would fall within the lawful authority of any Texas judge."

[BlackVelvet007]

I don't in any way shape or form endorse the spanking of 14-year-olds, but I have to say that if you take away the age factor of the defendent, there's a lot of material for a video here. "Only in Texas....."

[Arianna]

Some strange stories have come out of Brownsville, TX for sure! I use to live in the Corpus area and the goings on in Brownsville always seemed to trickle into the conversation. Where is the mother in all this? Obviously, she can't find her voice. A "club-type" object? Forget about this man's judgment, I have to wonder about his sanity! Sounds like someone who is after a cheap thrill at the expense of a child - sick!

[EmmyDoll]

There was a juvenile back in Tennessee that had the same mentality, though the parent had to sign a consent form.

I don't know if that still do that, but I remember talking about it 5 or 6 years ago. I never had to go! Luckily!

[BlackVelvet007]

Last I looked, we still have 20 States where corporal punishment is still used in schools. Most of them are down south like Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas.

[paully62]

Seems like the rebels still whup