Louisiana judge refuses to marry interracial couple

[IronBrig4]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33332436...and_ethnicity/

Why am I not surprised that this happened in the South? In an age of Vegas weddings and baby-mamas, this hick judge doesn't think it's right for interracial couples to marry and start a family?

"America's great, except for the South." ~ Peter Griffin

[Phier]

Justice of the peace, a little different.

[Jexiel]

How does the judge know they will have children?

[Cougar109]

Justice of the peace, a little different.

It's still a position of power and one appointed by the government. Certainly shouldn't be out there pushing personal agendas and abusing the power given to you such as this instance here. It's obvious by some of the comments this man made about the subject he's prejudice and borderline racist and I'd hope he will no longer be holding his position.

[GrnEyedDvl]

It's still a position of power and one appointed by the government. Certainly shouldn't be out there pushing personal agendas and abusing the power given to you such as this instance here. It's obvious by some of the comments this man made about the subject he's prejudice and borderline racist and I'd hope he will no longer be holding his position.

Wrong. He is elected, not appointed.

Still a bad call in my opinion.

[Panzerbear]

damn, this thread is worthless without pics!

[jankren]

Marriage is overrated.

[B5C]

To quote my friend from Louisiana:

Sounds like them crazy coon asses.

That guy should resign. What he is doing is illegal.

[Nietzsche]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33332436...and_ethnicity/

Why am I not surprised that this happened in the South? In an age of Vegas weddings and baby-mamas, this hick judge doesn't think it's right for interracial couples to marry and start a family?

"America's great, except for the South." ~ Peter Griffin

From the article it said nothing about it being "right." The esteemed and learned man simply thought he was creating potential future misery by marrying interracial couples; something he was attempting to avoid by not marrying them. While I think a ordained minister has the right to deny couples marriage for religious reasons (it is in the minister's purview to so deny), I don't think this public servant has such a right. In which case he should be censured. Any future refusal should result in dismissal.

[RTW Fan]

From the article it said nothing about it being "right." The esteemed and learned man simply thought he was creating potential future misery by marrying interracial couples; something he was attempting to avoid by not marrying them. While I think a ordained minister has the right to deny couples marriage for religious reasons (it is in the minister's purview to so deny), I don't think this public servant has such a right. In which case he should be censured. Any future refusal should result in dismissal.

Does a JP have the right to make his own call and opinion in this state in the USA? He maybe well within his rights.

edit:

"
“I’m not a racist,” Bardwell told the newspaper. “I do ceremonies for black couples right here in my house. My main concern is for the children.” Bardwell, stressing he couldn’t personally endorse the marriage, referred the couple to another justice of the peace."

[Nietzsche]

Does a JP have the right to make his own call and opinion in this state in the USA? He maybe well within his rights.

edit:

"
“I’m not a racist,” Bardwell told the newspaper. “I do ceremonies for black couples right here in my house. My main concern is for the children.” Bardwell, stressing he couldn’t personally endorse the marriage, referred the couple to another justice of the peace."

That sir, would depend on the state. However, I'm nearly certain that no state has a loophole for a JP to slip through if he doesn't want to marry a pair. To the State it's simply about records and money. It has nothing to do with ceremony or symbolism.

[RTW Fan]

That sir, would depend on the state. However, I'm nearly certain that no state has a loophole for a JP to slip through if he doesn't want to marry a pair. To the State it's simply about records and money. It has nothing to do with ceremony or symbolism.

Yeah they gotta marry they cannot tellt he pair that they cannot marry according to the Supreme Court ruling in 1967 but as Bardwell said he turns them to another JP to marry them which might be a loophole, I really do not know.

"I've been a justice of the peace for 34 years and I don't think I've mistreated anybody," Bardwell said. "I've made some mistakes, but you have too. I didn't tell this couple they couldn't get married. I just told them I wouldn't do it."

[Jexiel]

Yahoo News

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

NEW ORLEANS – A Louisiana justice of the peace said he refused to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple out of concern for any children the couple might have. Keith Bardwell, justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish, says it is his experience that most interracial marriages do not last long.

"I'm not a racist. I just don't believe in mixing the races that way," Bardwell told the Associated Press on Thursday. "I have piles and piles of black friends. They come to my home, I marry them, they use my bathroom. I treat them just like everyone else."

Bardwell said he asks everyone who calls about marriage if they are a mixed race couple. If they are, he does not marry them, he said.

Bardwell said he has discussed the topic with blacks and whites, along with witnessing some interracial marriages. He came to the conclusion that most of black society does not readily accept offspring of such relationships, and neither does white society, he said.

"There is a problem with both groups accepting a child from such a marriage," Bardwell said. "I think those children suffer and I won't help put them through it."

If he did an interracial marriage for one couple, he must do the same for all, he said.

"I try to treat everyone equally," he said.

Bardwell estimates that he has refused to marry about four couples during his career, all in the past 2 1/2 years.
Beth Humphrey, 30, and 32-yearold Terence McKay, both of Hammond, say they will consult the U.S. Justice Department about filing a discrimination complaint.

Humphrey, an account manager for a marketing firm, said she and McKay, a welder, just returned to Louisiana. She is white and he is black. She plans to enroll in the University of New Orleans to pursue a masters degree in minority politics.

"That was one thing that made this so unbelievable," she said. "It's not something you expect in this day and age."

Humphrey said she called Bardwell on Oct. 6 to inquire about getting a marriage license signed. She says Bardwell's wife told her that Bardwell will not sign marriage licenses for interracial couples. Bardwell suggested the couple go to another justice of the peace in the parish who agreed to marry them.

"We are looking forward to having children," Humphrey said. "And all our friends and co-workers have been very supportive. Except for this, we're typical happy newlyweds."

"It is really astonishing and disappointing to see this come up in 2009," said American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana attorney Katie Schwartzmann. She said the Supreme Court ruled in 1967 "that the government cannot tell people who they can and cannot marry."
The ACLU sent a letter to the Louisiana Judiciary Committee, which oversees the state justices of the peace, asking them to investigate Bardwell and recommending "the most severe sanctions available, because such blatant bigotry poses a substantial threat of serious harm to the administration of justice."

"He knew he was breaking the law, but continued to do it," Schwartzmann said.
According to the clerk of court's office, application for a marriage license must be made three days before the ceremony because there is a 72-hour waiting period. The applicants are asked if they have previously been married. If so, they must show how the marriage ended, such as divorce.

Other than that, all they need is a birth certificate and Social Security card.
The license fee is $35, and the license must be signed by a Louisiana minister, justice of the peace or judge. The original is returned to the clerk's office.

"I've been a justice of the peace for 34 years and I don't think I've mistreated anybody," Bardwell said. "I've made some mistakes, but you have too. I didn't tell this couple they couldn't get married. I just told them I wouldn't do it."

(This version corrects the date of the Supreme Court ruling.))

She is an account manager. He is a welder. I think the JP did her a favor.

[bushbush]

Yeah they gotta marry they cannot tellt he pair that they cannot marry according to the Supreme Court ruling in 1967 but as Bardwell said he turns them to another JP to marry them which might be a loophole, I really do not know.

"I've been a justice of the peace for 34 years and I don't think I've mistreated anybody," Bardwell said. "I've made some mistakes, but you have too. I didn't tell this couple they couldn't get married. I just told them I wouldn't do it."

r u justifying this?

[Justice and Mercy]

From the article it said nothing about it being "right." The esteemed and learned man simply thought he was creating potential future misery by marrying interracial couples; something he was attempting to avoid by not marrying them. While I think a ordained minister has the right to deny couples marriage for religious reasons (it is in the minister's purview to so deny), I don't think this public servant has such a right. In which case he should be censured. Any future refusal should result in dismissal.

Absolutely.

[Keravnos]

So, what is next I wonder. Not allowing African Americans to own property "for their sake, as it is well known and understood that they can't handle advanced maths and language skills"?

Disallowing swimming for African Americans "for their own good as it is common knowledge that blacks can't swim"?

So far as what the married couple will do with their lives, whether they will last or not, that is their business, not any judge's. As mentioned, so long as they had all the correct qualifications they should be wed.

Goes without saying that the vast majority of the southerners are far beyond that kind of attitude. Thank God.

[Cougar109]

Well in reality he had no legal reason for not signing off on the marriage. As far as I can tell they filed all the paperwork and paid the fee, the reason he denied them was simply because "He came to the conclusion that most of black society does not readily accept offspring of such relationships, and neither does white society." There is no real data to back any of this up, no way to even conclude that would indeed be the case with this family. He simply denied it because of an agenda he has. Weather he truly meant what he said or he does indeed have something more sinister under the surface makes no real difference, by law he should be obligated to accept the marriage.

Now I'll also say this, a lot of states have these minute and impractical laws that have been around since the 1800's that no one has ever heard of and they've never been removed for whatever. There may be something there that allows this nonsense to sit as acceptable.

[motiv-8]

He simply denied it because of an agenda he has.

What agenda? Protecting children?

[Cougar109]

What agenda? Protecting children?

What's he protecting children from?

Bardwell said he has discussed the topic with blacks and whites, along with witnessing some interracial marriages. He came to the conclusion that most of black society does not readily accept offspring of such relationships, and neither does white society, he said.

"I don't do interracial marriages because I don't want to put children in a situation they didn't bring on themselves," Bardwell said. "In my heart, I feel the children will later suffer."

He's protecting children from what he believes is true but is not backed up by any actual facts nor is there any way to prove that this would be the case for this family. He is assuming, as a JP you're job is not to assume but to follow law. By law the couple did everything they were supposed to, they were simply denied by this particular JP because one was black and one was white, and in his opinion any children they would have had would be suffer for it later. No law prohibits such a union, no facts are laid out to back up his claim, no proof could be made that the children of this couple would indeed suffer. He says no because one was black and one was white.

[MadBurgerMaker]

A racist old guy who was probably raised that way and doesn't appear to know what the hell (or is just a racist youngish moron and still doesn't know about ) in a relatively low level government position does something...well...racist, and doesn't think anything of it?

I'm shocked. Shocked, I tell you.

IronBrig, you are apparently just finding out about racism and will be totally stunned when you discover it isn't isolated to a certain region. I feel your pain brother. I was floored by the idea of a crazy white power nutjob compound outside of Mississippi or Alabama or something (there's one in Northern Idaho of all places, could you imagine?!), but I got through it. You will too.

Here. Maybe this will help: <-- Still shocked. Holy . Wow.

Edit: Oh hey it's the TWC Mudpit why the hell am I posting here?