83岁审判员状告同事对他年龄歧视英语美文

近日，美国俄克拉荷马州高级法院一名83岁的审判员状告他的同事对他进行“年龄歧视”。这位名叫马里亚·欧帕拉的审判员表示，他的同事因他年纪过高而拒绝同意他成为法院的审判长。

A supreme court judge in Oklahoma is suing colleagues on the bench for passing him over for the state"s top judicial job because he is too old.

据英国《卫报》1月6日报道，欧帕拉在诉讼中提到，他现在的身体和精神状况都非常良好，但却在晋升审判长这一更高薪水的'职务中受到不公平待遇。

报道说，美国各州最高法院的审判长每两年需更换一次，候选人也必须要有作为审判员6年以上的工作经验。欧帕拉符合这些基本条件，但他认为，他的同事们更改了有关规定，以至于现任审判长约瑟夫·瓦特还可以继续任职两年。欧帕拉称，瓦特与其他审判员共同密谋以阻止他晋升到审判长的职位。

为此，欧帕拉的同事们认为，他们只是推选出最适合的人选来作为审判长，因为审判长必须要有敏锐的判断力、稳重的性情和符合其他各方面的能力与素质的综合要求，而欧帕拉此次将同事们告上法庭的行为令人难以理解。

A supreme court judge in Oklahoma is suing colleagues on the bench for passing him over for the state"s top judicial job because he is too old.

Marian Opala, 83, will take fellow judges to court for age discrimination after a rule change denied him his turn to be the state"s supreme court chief justice.

In his lawsuit Mr Opala insists he "enjoys good health and sound mental acuity" and was unfairly denied the "ceremonial duties" and higher salary that come with the top post.

The post of chief justice has rotated, every two years, among justices who have served at least six years. Under those rules Mr Opala should be next in line. But his colleagues changed the rules so that the current chief justice, Joseph Watt, could extend his term by two years.

Mr Opala was livid, alleging a plot between Mr Watt and the court"s "young Turks" (the youngest is 52) to deny him his rightful place on the bench.

"As a matter of history," says Mr Opala in his lawsuit, "state judges would not resort to federal court to settle their differences. In the last 20 years though a body of law has developed called employment law. It provides norms for hiring, firing, promotion and demotion."

But others regard the fact that he has taken the issue to court as grounds enough to bar him from the job.