Community | November 03, 2009 | 37 comments

Justice who refused to wed interracial couple resigns

source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jy_z-Zo4fvJEf2TK1LCiiPIe9NDwD9BOB3SG1

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Future_America
A Louisiana justice of the peace who refused to marry a couple because the bride was white and groom was black resigned Tuesday.

Keith Bardwell, who is white, quit the post with a one-sentence statement to Louisiana Secretary of State Jay Dardenne and no explanation of his decision: "I do hereby resign the office of Justice of the Peace for the Eighth Ward of Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, effective November 3, 2009."

Bardwell refused to perform the ceremony for Beth Humphrey and Terence McKay because they are of different races.

When questioned about his refusal, Bardwell acknowledged he routinely recuses himself from marrying interracial couples because he believes such marriages cause harm to the couples' children. In interviews, he said he refers such couples to other justices of the peace, who then perform the ceremony, which happened in this case.

Humphrey has said she and McKay received their marriage license from the parish clerk of court, where they also received a list of people qualified to perform the ceremony. When she called Bardwell's office to ask about the ceremony on Oct. 6, Humphrey said Bardwell's wife told her that the justice wouldn't sign their marriage license because they were a "mixed couple."

Bardwell didn't immediately return a call for comment Tuesday about his resignation, which followed calls for his ouster from several public officials, including Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu.

Humphrey and McKay have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Bardwell.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jy_z-Zo4fvJEf2TK1LCiiPIe9NDwD9...
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37 comments // Justice who refused to wed interracial couple resigns

  • dariusvons
  • DramaQT
    • 0
      DramaQT  

    • Yeah...he probably never mixes peas with carrots, or macaroni with cheese!! One down...and a couple thousand more bigots to go!!

    • 2 years ago
  • jadewuzlyke
  • EdJoyProductions
  • ankab
  • outtheinside
    • 0
      outtheinside  

    • just wanted to say i called it... to the many that ignorantly argued that he is a public official and can't be removed from office, you all forgot about political and public pressure to resign. you were just served a lesson in politics - it doesn't matter the position or how you got it, it is easily removed when you fuck up this bad.

    • 2 years ago
  • zphoenixdownz
  • EdJoyProductions
  • michail77
  • EdJoyProductions
  • ras_menelik
  • lifestudentno83
  • dj_ioglyphics
    • 0
      dj_ioglyphics  

    • I am from New Orleans LA and I am married to a white woman.... THIS IS NO SURPRISE. He had the decency to step down realizing that the laws that he swore and oath to are not ones he agrees with. He believes in the purity of his race.... he also probably believes that the picture that Micheal Angelo painted of Jesus is how he actually looked.... like a white man with blue eyes and long straight hair. Yes some white folks will swear that Jesus/God is a white man. LOL!!! I guess God can be whatever color you want him to be.... he's your own personal imaginary friend.

    • 2 years ago
  • freshfish
  • Chique
  • DramaQT
    • 0
      DramaQT  
    • Chique:

      Thank You, Chique!..I believe you said it best, using the least amount of words. ;) However, I still believe that he might feel differently towards people of African descent if he had a little in him. It would force him to change his beliefs at least enough to realize that we are not another species looming, we are people. Human.

    • 2 years ago
  • unclecharlie
    • 0
      unclecharlie  

    • .I had to eat crow after I mentioned all the idiot racist rednecks I lived amongst (as I lived in Louisiana for a few years) I was called on the carpet by a citizen of that state. So, all I'll say, it's comforting to know that so many Louisianans called for his head, including the governor. Mr. Bardwell shows himself to be quite an ignorant bigot. Good riddance.

    • 2 years ago
  • stephenthomson
  • flyingkick
  • Paula_Porter
  • brianwilson
    • 0
      brianwilson  

    • Being from a white mother and a black father causing trouble for children? The president of the UNITED STATES had a white mother and a black father... just.. wow.

    • 2 years ago
  • Betico
  • DramaQT
    • 0
      DramaQT  

    • Bye, Bye, Bye.....I must preface this comment by saying that I know nothing of this man....however for justice to be truly served to the Justice Bardwell, something like, finding out that his great great great grandmother was actually African slave. In my mind this would be the remedy....

    • 2 years ago
  • UWAZell
    • 0
      UWAZell  

    • Good for him, however I'm calling the couple 'tools' due to the civil rights suit they filed against Bradwell. If I recall correctly, the law gave him discretion as to when he could perform his duties and didn't confer any real positive duties in this respect. That said, while I find his opinions to be ignorant, the last time I checked the US was a 'free' country, and that encompasses a freedom to hold, as well as practise, the most ridiculous of beliefs.

      I doubt he suddenly realised that his beliefs are out of step with modern Western society, however I'm please he resigned.

      I reckon they should drop the suit and sell their story to Hallmark, Lifetime or W. Heck, why not write a book... which generally comes before the made for tele movie... call it 'Love in Black and White'. [

    • 2 years ago
  • Dire_Wolf
    • 0
      Dire_Wolf  
    • UWAZell:

      Uh no, you're utterly wrong about him "exercising his opinion.:

      He's a JUDGE, he's supposed to follow the LAW. And Loving vs. Virginia, the Supreme Court case that legalized interracial marriage, happened over 40 years ago now.

      No one has the freedom to be a tyrant, that's the exact reason we have a constitutional republic. I honestly do not understand how you reached that conclusion.

    • 2 years ago
  • UWAZell
    • 0
      UWAZell  
    • UWAZell:

      Correction, I'm not utterly wrong, in fact my statement is actually correct. What you failed to realise, or didn't notice, is that he isn't a judge, he's a justice of the peace. While they are to uphold the law he does have discretion as to what he chooses to partake in, a discretion he exercised. While his actions were reprehensible he was well within his rights as a justice to refuse to perform the ceremony.

      Fortunately people do have the right to be a 'tyrant', it's called free will and a free country. The question is whether people will allow said person to partake in said behaviour unchallenged.

      To address you last point, I reached that conclusion because it was stated by the AG's spokeswoman in a response to the story when it broke. He stated while he may choose what ceremonies to partake in, to refuse to do so for such an egregious reason means that he may possibly be out of a job.

    • 2 years ago
  • eskimoe
  • thecoyote23
  • Bunjing
    • 0
      Bunjing  

    • How many times has this story been on current??.... I get it..the guy is a douche and he should be teabagged by the "we are the world" children....lets move on

    • 2 years ago
  • lionessgrrl
  • jubal
  • PureEm
  • PatrioticAstronaut
  • dariustwin
    • 0
      dariustwin  
    • PureEm:

      It's karma because this judge has done this before, only this case caught media attention. After being shown to the nation as a racist judge, his only options were resign or sued for discrimination.

    • 2 years ago
  • PatrioticAstronaut
    • 0
      PatrioticAstronaut  
    • PureEm:

      So, he was either able to stick to what he believed, or extorted money for the "psychological" harm he did while discriminating. Yeah, sounds like karma to me. I only think he should be able to be sued if (1) it can be proven that he intentionally caused, or if he even caused emotional (harm) damage to the "victim"[s], or if (2) there wasn't already several other justices of peace with whom their marriage would be allowed. Let him be racist, I say. It makes normal people like me seem God-like.

    • 2 years ago
  • katedarling
    • 0
      katedarling  
    • PureEm:

      PA,

      You're talking about this as if it's hard to believe the couple were genuinely hurt.

      If I were to marry someone of a difference race, thinking "Hey, it's 2009, interracial marriage isn't an issue anymore", but then a judge told me he couldn't give a marriage license because he doesn't agree with interracial marriage, that would definitely upset me.

      Also, how many other judges would have given them a marriages license is irrelevant to whether or not they can sue. The judge's own discriminatory actions are all that's needed for them to take that sort of action.

    • 2 years ago
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