Press

For Immediate Release: May 30, 2015
Contact: Molly Haigh, 907-750-1999, molly@fitzgibbonmedia.com or Josh Nelson, 202-550-6175, jnelson@credoaction.com

Breaking: Judge Fuller Resigns After Nearly a Year of Public Outcry Over Domestic Abuse

UltraViolet and CREDO Action Members Declare Victory Against Judge Who Beat His Wife

Friday night news emerged that the Alabama Judge caught on an audio recording beating his then wife has finally resigned after nearly a year of public pressure from women’s rights groups UltraViolet and CREDO Action, the public, and many members of Congress.

Shaunna Thomas, co-founder of UltraViolet, issued the following statement:
“A judge who beat his wife has no place on the bench. Which is why, after months of pressure, we are encouraged to see Judge Mark Fuller finally out of office. But justice has not been served here: for months, Congress and the 11th Circuit allowed Fuller to retain his pay despite clear evidence he abused his wife. Violence against women is at
epidemic levels in this country, and we simply cannot hope to combat that unless we stop allowing abusers to get away with it. 1 in 3 women have been physically abused by an intimate partner in the U.S., which is why we must keep fighting to hold all abusers and their defenders, no matter how powerful, accountable.”

Becky Bond, Political Director of CREDO Action, issued the following statement:
“It’s rare that progressives agree with Alabama Senators Shelby and Sessions, but when it came to Mark Fuller, we were all on the same page. It’s great that Fuller is finally off the federal bench, but it’s appalling that he was given a free pass from Georgia prosecutors and was able to stay on the bench, collecting his salary, for so long.”

More than 180,000 UltraViolet and CREDO Action members petitioned Congress for Judge Fuller’s impeachment, and before that more than 80,000 UltraViolet members also called on Fuller to resign. More than 500 CREDO activists also made calls to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte demanding impeachment proceedings.

See the petitions here:
http://act.weareultraviolet.org/sign/Impeach_Fuller/
http://act.credoaction.com/sign/Fuller_Impeach

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UltraViolet is an online community of over 600,000 women and men who want to take collective action to expose and fight sexism in the public sector, private sector and the media. Find out more at WeAreUltraViolet.org.

CREDO Action, part of CREDO Mobile, is a social change network of 3.7 million activists, sending millions of petition signatures and tens of thousands of phone calls to decision-makers each year. CREDO Action members also participate in meetings, protests and other direct action for progressive change.