If he doesn't want to marry them.
He shouldn't be force to.
They just need to go somewhere else to get married.
He shouldn't be force to.
They just need to go somewhere else to get married.
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Thank God for social conservatives keeping America on the right track.
Thank God for social conservatives keeping America on the right track.
Must have hit a nerve.
Must have hit a nerve.
Must have hit a nerve.
Do you even know what Party the JP is registered with? You presume allot.
Gysgt....the responses here are so typical of the left in this country anymore. They don't give a damn that the fact of the matter is this man has the RIGHT to refuse to marry anyone.
he has the right to decline to marry people for no reason or any reason at all...
but not for DISCRIMINATORY reasons.
In case no one told you, Loving v VA outlawed anti-miscegenation laws.
And why you'd defend racist trash is beyond me.
oh wait... never mind.....
USA Today
Today's Wake-up Call: JP won't sign license for interracial couples
A Louisiana justice of the peace who refused to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple last week says he's no racist but has drawn a sharp rebuke from civil rights organizations in the state, The Daily Star of Hammond reports.
The couple say they plan to consult the U.S. Justice Department about filing a discrimination complaint.
Keith Bardwell, justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish, defends his actions by saying that it is his experience that most interracial marriages do not last long, The Star says.
Im not a racist, Bardwell says. I do ceremonies for black couples right here in my house. My main concern is for the children.
Beth Humphrey, 30, and her boyfriend, Terence McKay, 32, both of Hammond, said they tried to get a marriage license last week but were told the JP will not sign licenses for interracial marriages.
I simply cant believe he can do that. Thats blatant discrimination, Humphrey says, according to the newspaper.
Louisiana ACLU Executive Director Marjorie R. Esman called Bardwell's move both tragic and illegal," the newspaper says.
Pat Morris, local NAACP president, says she was shocked to hear that the choice of a spouse is still an issue in the parish.
Bardwell, who has been a JP for 34 years, says the state attorney general told him years ago that he would eventually get into trouble for not performing interracial marriages, The Star says.
I told him if I do, Ill resign, Bardwell says. I have rights too. Im not obligated to do that just because Im a justice of the peace.
A JP is supposed to be non-denominational - he was elected to perform the duty. If he refuses to do his legal duty ..... what SHOULD be the recourse?if they'd just asked a non-denominational minister to marry them, it wouldn't have been an issue.
The JOP is an instrument/agent of the government, or a state actor.
Loving cleary points out a state can not deny a marriage license to different races.
A JP is supposed to be non-denominational - he was elected to perform the duty. If he refuses to do his legal duty ..... what SHOULD be the recourse?if they'd just asked a non-denominational minister to marry them, it wouldn't have been an issue.
What happens if a cop says, "go find another cop to report your crime to"? Or if a teacher says, "I won't teach children of Irish decent"?
It's not his option and not his call - just his duty to do the job he was elected to do.
Only possible mitigation that some have suggested is that IF it can be determined that there are still some laws in effect that outlaw the marriage.
Not sure what Loving v VA is, sounds like a court ruling. I'll take you for your word that it outlawed anti-miscegenation laws, but a justice not performing a marriage isn't the same as passing into law a ban on interracial marriages.
The JOP is an instrument/agent of the government, or a state actor.
Loving cleary points out a state can not deny a marriage license to different races.
The "state" didn't deny a marriage license.