DALLAS (KRLD) - An advocacy group has filed a complaint with the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct against Judge Tammy Kemp. After the sentencing of Amber Guyger this week, Kemp left the courtroom and returned, handing Guyger a Bible and hugging her.
Kemp told Guyger to start with John 3:16 and said God "has a purpose for you."
The Freedom From Religion Foundation filed a complaint with the Commission on Judicial Conduct. The group's co-presidents, Annie Laurie Gaylor and Dan Barker, signed a letter to the commission:
"It violates the constitutional separation between state and church for a sitting judge to promote personal religious beliefs while acting in her official capacity. She was in a government courtroom, dressed in a judicial robe, with all of the imprimatur of the state, including armed law enforcement officers, preaching to someone who was quite literally a captive audience. Delivering bibles, bible studies and personal witness as a judge is an abuse of power."
The Christian group, First Liberty Institute, responded.
"FFRF is protesting Judge Kemp rather than joining the rest of the nation celebrating the compassion and mercy Judge Kemp demonstrated," General Counsel Hiram Sasser wrote in a statement.
First Liberty Institute says it will "gladly lead the charge in defending her noble and legal actions."
A former administrative judge in the City of Dallas Municipal Court says he does not understand why Kemp gave Guyger the Bible.
"Once there's an appearance that the judges are not impartial, we lose our entire criminal justice system," says C. Victor Lander, via NBC 5.
Lander says Kemp stepped outside her role as an independent arbiter.
"Unless you're going to be hugging and giving Bibles to every defendant who is convicted in your court, you should not be doing it for one," he says.