http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/33350883#33350883
Interracial Couple Denied Marriage License By Louisiana Judge
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."
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."
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beth_Bardwell
Bardwell, who is caucasian, insisted that he is "not a racist" and claimed to have "piles and piles" of black friends who use his bathroom
Keith Bardwell was first elected to the office of justice of the peace in 1975 as a Democrat and switched to the Republicans prior to qualifying for his current term in 2008.
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Comments: 3
Racial Discrimination
Violation of Civil Rights
Violation of Privacy
What if the couple were infertile? Would he marry them then? Blood tests are required in some states (in order to prevent Rh factor complications in case of a birth)--but that is identifying a health risk, not making a legal decision based on an opinion of a social issue.
So....now a representative of our judicial system gets to decide whether a couple should have children or not? Based on the color of their skin?
What an idiot.
Other folks have written about this elsewhere, but this is the first time I've commented on it at length....too angry to do so when the story first crossed my path.
Does he know that POTUS 44 is of two ethnicities?
Too much branch and Bourbon!
Beyond this instance, the topic of legislating from the bench should be glaringly obvious in this instance as used as a measuring rod for acceptable and unacceptable behavior from the bench.
LEGISLATING FROM THE BENCH: A DEFINITION AND A DEFENSE
by Bruce G. Peabody*
The past few decades have seen a rise in the frequency, intensity, and prominence of attacks against the courts by politicians, commentators, scholars, and interest groups. This project begins exploring the significance, cogency, and relevant political context of these criticisms by examining the particular claim that judges “legislate from the bench”—
somehow acting more like lawmakers than jurists.
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Johnice R. : "Does he know that POTUS 44 is of two ethnicity's?"
Something tells me YES, he does know that fact.
If you notice something in his BIO, apparently he was a lifelong Democrat until the Democrats fielded a candidate of mixed-breeding. Then he switched over to the Republican Party and his local support continued to support him in occupying his bench.
" Keith Bardwell was first elected to the office of justice of the peace in 1975 as a Democrat and switched to the Republicans prior to qualifying for his current term in 2008. "