Judge Paul Maloney
Western Michigan U.S. District Court
Paul Lewis Maloney was born in December 1949 in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned an undergraduate degree from Lehigh University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Detroit School of Law.
He served six years as an assistant prosecutor for Berrien County, then as prosecutor for eight years. He was Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Cincinnati Division of the U.S. Department of Justice for four years, before becoming a special assistant to the director of the State of Michigan Department of Corrections. He was a Berrien County district court judge and later a circuit court judge.
Maloney was nominated by President George W. Bush to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan. He was confirmed by the Senate and received his commission in July 2007. He served eight years as chief judge.
In the News…
A fruit grower in Michigan said she would not host same-sex weddings at her family farm. She based her decision on rulings of her church about marriage. Her decision caused her and her family to be banned from a local farmers’ market and began what has been a six-year battle with the City of East Lansing.
Judge Paul Maloney of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan ruled that the farmer and her family were improperly “forced to choose between following their religious beliefs and a government benefit for which they were otherwise qualified.”
The court said East Lansing had violated the farmer’s free exercise protections under the First Amendment of the Constitution. “The reason is simple: denying a person an equal share of the rights, benefits, and privileges enjoyed by other citizens because of her faith discourages religious activity,” the judge wrote in the ruling.
East Lansing continues to defend its position, but did not say whether it plans to appeal the court’s decision.
Contact this Leader…
Did you pray for Judge Maloney today? You can let him know at:
The Honorable Paul L. Maloney
Western Michigan U.S. District Court
137 Federal Building
410 W. Michigan Ave.
Kalamazoo, MI 49007
