Nearly two hundred attorneys from across the state of Tennessee are calling for an investigation into Coffee County District Attorney General Craig Northcott.
A video was posted online earlier this week by the political website TNHoller.com of Northcott speaking at a religious conference in 2018. In the video, Northcott is speaking to a group and says that if there is domestic violence in a marriage involving a gay couple, he would not prosecute it as domestic violence because he does not recognize the marriage.
In Tennessee, domestic violence crimes carry heavier, more serious penalties than other assaults.
Northcott added in the video from last year, "social engineers on the Supreme Court decided we now have homosexual marriage, and I disagree with them."
The lawyers are calling on the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility to investigate Northcott's conduct.
The attorneys state in the letter, "When Mr. Northcott swore an oath to become an attorney and represented intentions to uphold the constitution and laws of this country, he was acting dishonestly. During his speech, Mr. Northcott plainly stated his practice and intentions to act outside those very laws and instead set office policies based upon his personal beliefs."
The letter was sent to members of the Tennessee Bar and it goes onto say, "We (attorneys that signed the letter) watch with deep distress as the actions of Mr. Northcott cast a cloud over the Bar's reputation in the national spotlight. We call upon the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility, the Tennessee District Attorney General's Conference, and Governor Bill Lee to restore ethical leadership to Coffee County, to investigate the statements and actions of Mr. Northcott and to stand up for our highest ideals as members of the Tennessee Bar. "
When Northcott was contacted by Partner Station WMSR for a comment the district attorney decided to not a statement at this time. His term runs through the end of August 2022.
