Louisiana justice of the peace denied marriage license to interracial couple

[Intense]

What the hell people?!?!?

He is a justice of the peace and not a church/temple/mosque official. He is legally required to marry any man and woman that applies regardless of his personal opinion on iterracial marriage.

Why are people trying to defend this guy scoffing on his taxpayer funded job duties?

He is past that stage now. I hear the car wash is hiring.

 

[brewerboy]

At the end of the article the guy said:

"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."

So if the guy doesn't want to marry them.

I don't believe he should be forced to marry them.

The couple just needs to go somewhere else.

If he feels so strongly about his values he shouldn't be Justice of the Peace. Once he accpts the position he is obligated to treat everyone equally

I think this is the one time I've agreed with anything you've said.

 

[lawbuff]

He is past that stage now. I hear the car wash is hiring.

Hey that was a good movie!! "Workin' at the car wash girl"!!

This judge reminds me, as an abuse of law that is, of the DC Judge who sued the dry cleaners for 64 million $$.

He later was stripped of his Administrative Judgeship.

 

[lawbuff]

There needs to be a way of punishing such behavior.

If it is an "appointed" position, no contract, he is employed at will and can be fired with or without cause, unless state law says otherwise.

If it is an elected position, he can be recalled or impeached.

 

[Intense]

There needs to be a way of punishing such behavior.

If it is an "appointed" position, no contract, he is employed at will and can be fired with or without cause, unless state law says otherwise.

If it is an elected position, he can be recalled or impeached.

I bet He Resigns. If He refuses to there is Cause.

 

[bodecea]

They should have gotten married in a church.

Justices of the Peace are laws unto themselves.

Still need that state license, you know.

 

[lawbuff]

I bet He Resigns. If He refuses to there is Cause.

18 USC 242, criminalizes color of law deprivation of rights, but this was a ruling from the Bench, I have never heard of such, even crystal clear, being invoked for prosecution.

The officers who beat Rodney King I believe were prosecuted on the federal leval under 242, as an example.

 

[Intense]

He should retire and change his name. LOL

 

[Sunni Man]

That's why we have Courts.

LOL!!! the Jewish lawyer response to everything!!! "Lawsuit"

Jillian smells big money.

Sue him!! Sue the city!!!! Sue the county!!!! Sue the state!!! Sue everyone!!!!!

 

[JimH52]

The stupid Justice does not need to be a Justice. And any children in his house needs to be removed right now.

Last I checked we are actually ALLOWED in this free society to have our own beliefs and to act on them so long as they violate no law. Since this racist person can not deny them the right to marry he has broken no law, violated no oath and has done nothing but exercise his Constitutional protected right to be a racist.

To bad for all you whiners. Now find me someone that violated a law and we can have another discussion. But the 1st Amendment is EXACTLY for these kind of dumb people just like for the rest of us. Freedom is, well, messy.

This guy needs to be removed from his office now. I am pretty sure there is a very expensive civil pentalty that will be awarded for this. There is NO DEFENSE for this.
He is acted on behalf of the people and the people need to remove him from office...or whatever they have in Louisiana...

 

[uptownlivin90]

Yeah people just need to shut up. Why would you even try to get married interracially in an ass backwards state like Louisiana anyway? They should have just went to Vegas like every other interracial couple from the boonies. People are such damn cry-babies sometimes... boohoo he doesn't want us to get married. Look I've dealt with enough racism in my life to grow some tough skin about it... some people will not approve of certain things, and if they don't that's their business. Nothing anybody does amazes me anymore, because for every example of blatant racism there's five examples of even MORE blatant racism. You'll live. Get married by somebody else, have some babies and live your life and what not.

 

[Sunni Man]

This couple is just looking to make alot of money in a lawsuit.

It will pay for a big wedding and an even bigger house.

 

[theHawk]

Wrong - the agent IS acting on behalf of the state - by definition - in the performance (or non-performance) of his state-sanctioned duties.

He SHOULD be forced to do the job he was elected to do. If he cannot - because of his own personal beliefs - then he should never have run for the position that requires him to do so.

What if a policeman let's his partner get shot and killed because he is morally opposed to shooting his own weapon?

Shouldn't be in the job in the first place.

If Archie Bunker here can't perform his state duties in accordance with state law - he shouldn't be in the job in the first place.

It does depend on his actual job description, if he is required to marry anyone that asks. Usually JPs do not have to marry anyone, like in New England area where gay marriage is legal, but justices are allowed to refuse to marry gays.

If he is required to, then I would agree with you that he shouldn't be in the job and should quit or be fired.

As I stated before, no one is forced to do their job if they don't want to. Refusing to do ones job isn't illegal unless it can cause harm like the your cop example. As far as I know refusing to marry a couple isn't the same as allowing someone to die.

You're not following. HE CANNOT discriminate. If he doesn't want to do a wedding on the date you want, he can decline.

HE CANNOT DECLINE FOR THE COLOR OF YOUR SKIN.

And luckily, you don't have to agree. That's why we have Courts.

And the others are being far more patient with you than I ever would be.

As I have stated several times now, HE can do whatever HE wants, it is HIS right. The STATE cannot deny the marriage. So, as I said, if his position requires him to do it, he either has to do it OR he can refuse and quit or be fired. There is a choice there, he does not HAVE to do perform a marriage if he doesn't want to.

 

[jillian]

As I have stated several times now, HE can do whatever HE wants, it is HIS right. The STATE cannot deny the marriage. So, as I said, if his position requires him to do it, he either has to do it OR he can refuse and quit or be fired. There is a choice there, he does not HAVE to do perform a marriage if he doesn't want to.

if he were able to discriminate, his choices wouldn't be to do it, quit or be fired. he could just opt out.

are you really this stupid?

 

[theHawk]

He refused to issue them a marriage license, period. This is not legal.

VA's statutory scheme, which included refusal to issue such, was struck down:

...The central features of this Act, and current Virginia law, are the absolute prohibition of a "white person" marrying other than another "white person," [n7] a prohibition against issuing marriage licenses until the issuing official is satisfied that [p7] the applicants' statements as to their race are correct, [n8]...


Loving v. Virginia

There is no prohibition against issuing a marriage license based on races.

A justice refusing to "do his job" isn't the same as legislation being passed banning interracial marriages throughout the whole state.

What do you propose? This person be forced to marry someone?

When he decided he wanted the job, he knew what he was getting himself into. It was i his job description to marry couples - no matter what ethnicity each of them were - and he refused to do so based on discriminatory grounds. He knew he was acting against the law and he knew he would get into trouble for it. He just did. There needs to be a way of punishing such behavior.

If you know exactly what his position description is within the sate of Louisiana then link it.
If it does say he must perform marriages then yes, he can be "punished", but the most they could do is fire him. You can't throw people in jail for simply not doing their job. What is so hard to understand about that?

 

[theHawk]

As I have stated several times now, HE can do whatever HE wants, it is HIS right. The STATE cannot deny the marriage. So, as I said, if his position requires him to do it, he either has to do it OR he can refuse and quit or be fired. There is a choice there, he does not HAVE to do perform a marriage if he doesn't want to.

if he were able to discriminate, his choices wouldn't be to do it, quit or be fired. he could just opt out.

are you really this stupid?

You're suggesting that once a person takes a job, that person never has the option to refuse to his or her job?

Plenty of people in this country are unable or unwilling to do certain things their jobs require them to, so they quit or get fired. But for some reason, thats simply not an option for this guy.

 

[Oddball]

If you know exactly what his position description is within the sate of Louisiana then link it.
If it does say he must perform marriages then yes, he can be "punished", but the most they could do is fire him. You can't throw people in jail for simply not doing their job. What is so hard to understand about that?

Especially if they're AFSCME members.

 

[xsited1]

Think Progress » Louisiana justice of the peace denied marriage license to interracial couple, worried they might have children.

...

The JP is absolutely correct. People of mixed races are nothing but trouble makers.

 

[kwc57]

Thank God for social conservatives keeping America on the right track.

Thank God for broad-brushing assholes like you...

Oh boohoo, you hurt my feelings. Develop some deductive reasoning skills and get back to us.

 

[Dr.House]

Thank God for social conservatives keeping America on the right track.

Thank God for broad-brushing assholes like you...

Oh boohoo, you hurt my feelings. Develop some deductive reasoning skills and get back to us.

Don't cry, KFC...

Deductive reasoning does not excuse your broad-brushing... You can want it to, but its plain to see what you were doing...

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