A Michigan judge is under fire from local Republican Party officials for a Facebook post made just hours after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated while speaking to students in Utah. Now, top Republican leaders are demanding her resignation and calling her post inappropriate and offensive, the Detroit News reported Thursday.
Judge Jaimie Powell Horowitz of Oak Park, Michigan's 45th District Court shared a video of Kirk speaking at a 2023 Turning Point USA event, where he said: "I think it’s worth it to have the cost of unfortunately some gun deaths every year ... so we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights. It’s a prudent deal, a rational deal."
In her post, Powell Horowitz added the comment: "Talk about dying for your beliefs."
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That reaction has sparked outrage across the Michigan Republican Party, the report noted.
Vance Patrick, chair of the Oakland County GOP, was among the first to publicly demand her resignation.
"Comments like the ones from Judge Horowitz are disgusting," Patrick said.
"Any attempt to justify or lessen the severity of the assassination of Charlie Kirk is a clear indicator of the lack of character and moral fiber of that person," he added.
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“Judge Horowitz should resign immediately to help protect the integrity of our court system."
Kirk, a prominent gun rights advocate, was killed by a sniper in what the FBI has labeled a “targeted event” at Utah Valley University.
Authorities say the shooter fled the scene after jumping off a nearby roof.
State Sen. Jim Runestad, chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, also condemned the post and called for a public apology.
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"This is a woman that is supposed to have some discernment," Runestad said, adding that the timing and tone of her message were “outrageous.”
Meanwhile, Powell Horowitz responded to criticism by clarifying her stance.
"The fact that Mr. Kirk — in his own words — had said these kinds of deaths are worth it to protect our Second Amendment rights, as if it's just something we’re willing to accept for gun rights, I think that’s a quote people should really think about," Powell Horowitz told the Detroit News. "I hope people will think about his quote, and whether or not gun deaths are worth it for Second Amendment rights. I certainly don't think his death or others' death is worth it.
According to the report, more than 100 comments had been posted by Thursday morning, many calling her remarks “disgraceful,” “disturbing,” and “done in poor taste.”
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Powell Horowitz, who was elected to the bench in 2020, previously served as an assistant prosecutor in Wayne County for over 15 years.
The report noted that under Michigan’s Code of Judicial Conduct, judges are permitted to share personal opinions on social media as long as they do not include "provably false factual connotations."