Chinese couple want probe of chancellor's conduct
The Commercial Appeal
November 15, 2003

In a surprise move, Chancellor D. J. Alissandratos said Friday he will recuse himself from a controversial case in which an American couple is seeking to adopt a Chinese girl against the wishes of her birth parents. Alissandratos said during a court hearing that he has asked the Tennessee Supreme Court to appoint a new judge.

The Chinese couple, along with the Chinese embassy in Washington and an attorney in California, have asked for a state judicial investigation into Alissandratos's handling of the case.

Shaoqiang 'Jack' He and his wife, Qui 'Casey' Luo, say Alissandratos has not been fair, and has denied them visitation rights with 4-year-old Anna Mae.

They say Alissandratos, who often rules against them, has allowed the case to drag on far beyond the two-year legal limit for an adoption to be completed or dismissed in Tennessee.

The Hes, who also face a deportation hearing next month, want the case dismissed so they can regain Anna Mae and return to China. They allege their daughter was kidnapped.

Jack He declined to discuss specifics of his request for an investigation by the Tennessee Court of the Judiciary. Such complaints are confidential.

The Hes have written hundreds of letters to news media, politicians and diplomatic officials over the past four years as they seek the return of their daughter. They say they have not abandoned her.

The Hes voluntarily placed Anna Mae with Jerry and Louise Baker shortly after the child's birth in 1999.  The Chinese couple had money and legal problems at the time, and have said they needed temporary help caring  for the infant.

The Bakers, who gained legal custody of the girl, moved to adopt in June 2001.

Meanwhile, Jack He lost his job as a graduate assistant at the University of Memphis. He has worked at a number of Asian restaurants.

Last summer, Alissandratos refused to let the Hes have a trial by jury, and said he would decide the case himself. But the trial set for Sept. 29 was postponed indefinitely when a court-appointed attorney said her husband had to have cancer surgery.

Midway through a motions hearing Friday, Alissandratos announced he was withdrawing from the case.

He did not go into detail in court. A reporter was unable to reach him late Friday afternoon.

Larry Parrish, the Bakers' lawyer, and David Siegel, the Hes' lawyer, both said the judge's announcement caught them by surprise.

"It was totally unexpected," Siegel said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.