Marion County Superior Court Chief Judge Cale J. Bradford has drawn press attention for refusing to lift an order from a divorce decree barring Thomas E. Jones Jr. and his ex-wife Tammie U. Bristol from exposing their 9-year-old son to "non-mainstream" religious beliefs and rituals. Bradford's obstinance has prompted the Indiana Civil Liberties Union to ask the Indiana Court of Appeals to nullify Bradford's action.
Both parents, according to
The Indianapolis Star, strenuously objected to Bradford's order that neither of them expose their son to Wicca, a Pagan religion that focuses on nature. Nonetheless, earlier this year Bradford refused to change the decree. According to the
Star, Bradford based his action on a report from the state's Domestic Relations Counseling Bureau, which noted that the child attends a Catholic school. The report claimed the couple had displayed "little insight into the confusion these divergent belief systems will have upon (the boy) as he ages."