A federal judge on Friday had questions about why Mayor Kasim Reed dismissed Atlanta’s fire chief in 2015, asking attorneys representing the city if the decision was based primarily on the contents of the chief’s controversial book or his insubordination.
Fire chief Kelvin Cochran was terminated after he wrote and distributed a book that some considered anti-gay. In response, the chief filed a civil rights suit arguing religious discrimination. The city of Atlanta says the dismissal had nothing to do with the book’s content and that Cochran was fired for not following city policy that calls for getting prior approval of the work. He then defied Reed when he spoke out during a suspension he was given as punishment, even though he was told not to, an attorney for the city said.
Friday, U.S. District Judge Leigh May asked attorneys if Cochran would have been dismissed had he written a book about golf instead.