Paul Dorr, the religious activist charged with fifth degree criminal mischief after burning library books that promote homosexuality and transgenderism to pre-K children, filed a motion requesting Cherokee County magistrate judge Lisa Mazurek recuse herself from his case due to prejudicial statements and orders.
Mazurek was quoted as saying “Mr. Dorr is not being sent the message that he cannot burn books…; (h)e is being sent the message that he cannot burn books that do not belong to him.” Mazurek reportedly said that when ruling against Dorr’s motion to dismiss the charges.
Dorr states that such statement implies the court has found him, the defendant, guilty and assumed the role of a prosecutor who is trying to “send a message.” He states he believes the statement openly exposes the prejudice of the court and court’s intention to deny a fair jury trial.
Newspapers, TV stations and radio outlets have all reported on the ruling, which works in prejudice to Dorr, he said.
Mazurek also failed to mention and preserve in any way that Dorr retains his presumption of innocence until proven guilty and the State would still be required to prove beyond a reasonable doubt he committed the offense alleged by the State of Iowa.
The court also ruled it will not allow discussion of the nature or cause of Dorr’s protest before the jury, a ruling that Dorr also said highlights its prejudice.
Dorr also said he fears his actions and speech are “repugnant” to the Iowa court system, which has been trying to be a national leader in advancing the LGBTQ agenda while undermining Biblical family values and cultural norms.
