Judge Judy Advances Myth of Palin's Creationism Advocacy

As the Sarah Palin smears continue in the media, Judge Judy joined the debate spreading an internet rumor about the Alaska governor. Appearing on the September 9 edition of "The View," arguably America’s most famous judge when prodded by Barbara Walters to express her concerns about Palin, Judy expressed discomfort with "the teaching of creationism in public schools."

The judge has nothing to fear because Governor Palin does not want to push creationism in Alaska’s public schools as the non-partisan site FactCheck.org explains in its debunkment.

"Palin has not pushed for teaching creationism in Alaska's schools. She has said that students should be allowed to ‘debate both sides’ of the evolution question, but she also said creationism ‘doesn't have to be part of the curriculum.’"

No one on the panel corrected this falsehood.

Judge Judy also expressed her concern with Palin’s opposition to federally funded embryonic stem cell research. Judy respected the vice presidential nominee’s right to oppose it, but applied the straw man that she has no right to impose her values on everyone else. The judge must have missed that the debate is not about banning this research or "imposing a belief," but the use of federal funds that many are morally opposed to.

The daytime TV courtroom icon also expressed differences with Governor Palin on abortion, but added she opposes late term abortions. Before Barbara Walters steered her in another direction, Judge Judy did offer many compliments towards the Alaska governor praising Palin’s leadership in raising a family and fighting corruption.

The transcript follows.

JOY BEHAR: Would any man be scared to run against you? No.

JUDGE JUDY: Would any man be scared to run against me?

BEHAR: We were talking you have to walk on eggs with a woman, not you.

JUDY: No, no I don’t think so.

BEHAR: They’d be scared.

JUDY: I don’t think so. I think that we have a bunch of powerful women sitting here at this, at this table today. And I think that powerful women are in vogue.

BEHAR: Yes.

JUDY: I think that we’ve had a powerful woman who, for two years, ran a valiant race. And I don’t think that anybody can say that there was a retiring bone among her supporters. And now we have a new lady who’s, you know-

BARBARA WALTERS: Weigh in. What do you think?

JUDY: Well- about Sarah Palin?

WALTERS: Yeah.

JUDY: I thin- I don’t know a lot about her, but I certainly know that she’s a dynamic lady. I mean, we may have certain differences of opinion with some very core issues. But I think that the fact that she has raised a family-

WALTERS: You had five kids.

JUDY: We have five kids among us, raised a family, got to be governor of the state of Alaska. You may say it’s not- it doesn’t have a lot of people. It’s the governor of a state! That’s a big job. And she took on some people, according to both parties, she took on some Republicans, her own party, and she said "listen, I’m going to get rid of corruption. I don’t care who you are."

WALTERS: Anything that you don’t feel comfortable with?

JUDY: Well, I’m not comfortable with the teaching of creationism in our schools. I’m not- I am, while this womb isn’t being used for anything currently or for the future, I do believe that a woman has the right to choose as long as she makes that choice- [applause] - as long as she makes that choice in a responsible way, which means don’t wait until you’re seven and a half months pregnant and say "I think that this was a mistake." That I don’t believe in. I think that you have to act responsibly. And, the- I haven’t heard her express her opinion about federally funded stem cell research. Because while the womb is not going to be used, I may need a new liver or a new cornia.

WALTERS: I believe that she is against it. I don’t like to speak for her because I don’t-

BEHAR: Well, she’s against embryonic.

WALTERS: She’s against embryonic stem cell research.

JUDY: Now, if she’s against embryonic stem cell research, and she would force that upon the rest of the country, because you can hold a religious belief on something and then say, as Joe Biden did, "I’m a Catholic and I believe that life begins at the moment of conception, but I would never impose that on anybody else because legislatively because that’s not my role." So if Sarah Palin does not believe in stem cell research, in embryonic stem cell research, herself personally, but she knows that the rest of the country, through their legislators, who they’ve elected through their legistors, support it, and it’s the wave of the future, then what does her personal belief have to do with me?