According to a recent suit filed by Lambda Legal, Will County court officials weren't following the rules when they denied a transgender woman's request for a waiver of the fees associated with a legal name change.
Lambda Legal is asking the Illinois Supreme Court to make Will County Court officials follow Illinois law so the low-income, suburban transgender woman can legally change her name.
According to the suit, Twelfth Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Stephen White and Circuit Court Clerk Pamela McGuire allegedly rejected Daunn Turner's request to waive her court fees because they felt that changing her name was unnecessary. Illinois law entitles low-income people to a waiver of court fees if they can't afford it. The suit claims that court officials violated Turner's right to due process of the law by not following proper procedures.
Lambda Legal wants Will County court officials to comply with the law so that Turner, 52, can continue the process of legally changing her name.
Turner is permanently disabled, and Social Security Disability Insurance benefits are her only source of income. She has been using the first name 'Daunn' since January 2006, according to the suit, and wants it legally changed to reflect her female identity and in order to obtain legal documents.
The suit states that Turner went to the Will County courthouse in Joliet on July 6, 2007, to begin the process of changing her name. She brought the necessary supporting documents, and requested an application for a fee waiver. According to the suit, Turner's documents were never filed, and she was told that her request was denied because the chief judge felt her situation was 'not that important,' and not urgent.
The suit added that the chief judge later called Turner and allegedly said, 'I am not spending the County's money on something like this,' because he felt a name change was unnecessary.