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La. Justice of the Peace refuses to marry interracial couple. Says children would suffer
I can not believe this is happening in America in 2009. Apparently this judge thinks he has the right to decide who marries who. He should be removed from office immediately far as I'm concerned.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33332436/ns/us_news-race_and_ethnicity/...
HAMMOND, La. - 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.
Neither Bardwell nor the couple immediately returned phone calls from The Associated Press. But Bardwell told the Daily Star of Hammond that he was not a racist.
"I do ceremonies for black couples right here in my house," Bardwell said. "My main concern is for the children."
‘I feel the children will later suffer’
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."
If he does an interracial marriage for one couple, he must do the same for all, he said.
"I try to treat everyone equally," he said.
Thirty-year-old Beth Humphrey and 32-year-old Terence McKay, both of Hammond, say they will consult the U.S. Justice Department about filing a discrimination complaint.
Humphrey told the newspaper 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.
"It is really astonishing and disappointing to see this come up in 2009," said American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana attorney Katie Schwartzman. "The Supreme Court ruled as far back as 1963 that the government cannot tell people who they can and cannot marry."
‘He knew he was breaking the law’
The ACLU was preparing a letter for the Louisiana Supreme Court, which oversees the state justices of the peace, asking them to investigate Bardwell and see if they can remove him from office, Schwartzman said.
"He knew he was breaking the law, but continued to do it," Schwartzman 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.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33332436/ns/us_news-race_and_ethnicity/...
HAMMOND, La. - 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.
Neither Bardwell nor the couple immediately returned phone calls from The Associated Press. But Bardwell told the Daily Star of Hammond that he was not a racist.
"I do ceremonies for black couples right here in my house," Bardwell said. "My main concern is for the children."
‘I feel the children will later suffer’
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."
If he does an interracial marriage for one couple, he must do the same for all, he said.
"I try to treat everyone equally," he said.
Thirty-year-old Beth Humphrey and 32-year-old Terence McKay, both of Hammond, say they will consult the U.S. Justice Department about filing a discrimination complaint.
Humphrey told the newspaper 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.
"It is really astonishing and disappointing to see this come up in 2009," said American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana attorney Katie Schwartzman. "The Supreme Court ruled as far back as 1963 that the government cannot tell people who they can and cannot marry."
‘He knew he was breaking the law’
The ACLU was preparing a letter for the Louisiana Supreme Court, which oversees the state justices of the peace, asking them to investigate Bardwell and see if they can remove him from office, Schwartzman said.
"He knew he was breaking the law, but continued to do it," Schwartzman 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.
Views: 27
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Just-a-Writer on
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It's worse than that, Jac. It was 1964 before it was declared unconstitutional to ban interracial marriages.
I think we as a nation can be forgiven of our past, as long as we keep moving forward and quit trying to cling to it. And we all can't be held accountable for the few that think we've moved forward too quickly. They'll have to make accounting for themselves. -
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Permalink Reply by Mark F Lamb on
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I totally agree. Mariah Carey, Tiger Woods, Keanu Reeves, Angelina Jolie, The Rock, Cher, and many many others.
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A-ha! See there is a good reason for not having Mixed race marriages.
Just kidding Jaws. Really. My black and white son and three of my mixed race grand-kids probably wouldn't appreciate the joke either. I'm just incorrigibly bad. -
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Mark, had this man been a minister, his religious views could have been taken into consideration. If he's a judge, his religious views are irrelevant. But let's be realistic here, what he did wasn't just a religious variant, it was an antiquated concept that screams racism. It is a legal argument that was lost by the segregationists 40 years ago.
It irritates me to no end that so many in this nation have to be drug by the hair of their heads, kicking and screaming, into the future. They're all ready to Twitter, blog, and pull out the cell phone, but when it comes to social changes, they suddenly have feet of clay. -
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Permalink Reply by Tina on
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I call it hardened hearts JaW! It flat out sickens me to think that people should even have to still be discussing these issues. If we keep looking and living backwards we won't have to worry about it pretty soon, for the entire world is fighting itself to death over things that have little to nothing to do with the realities that our world is facing....I must agree that there is great resistance to change and I do tend to wonder why?
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