Our Children Lose Out

This month, the County Commissioners decided to fire the Teen Court coordinator. Not because of his work, which has been exemplary over the last two years, or his budget, which has been well within the County's needs. No, they fired him over the fact that he's gay.

Justin Nichols is an openly gay administrator for the County's Teen Court, a group whose goal is to keep high school kids out of the system by giving them a jury of their peers, and to introduce teens who are interested in our court system to how justice works. His work on the Teen Court inspired thousands of students over the years to stand up for their rights and respect our legal system. It is a shame that the selfsame Commissioners who commended Justin for his work this time last year have seen fit to remove him purely out of bigotry. If we cannot have justice for the Court Coordinator, can there really be justice in our Teen Court?

Justin’s accomplishments in the Teen Court have been exemplary. He worked with Mothers Against Drunk Driving to create a pair of scholarships for the students who worked on Teen Court. His leadership helped them win the North Texas Teen Court Competition this year. His leadership and dedication will be sorely missed in Collin County. And I see it as yet another reason why we need change on the Commissioner’s Court this November.