Couple denied marriage license in Louisiana

[smileyeagle1021]

Supreme Court ruled a LOOONNG time ago that you can't tell people who they can or can't marry. WTF?

Sure they can. See "Gay Marriage".

damn, Greenday beet me too it.
I though do like this guy... I hope it goes up to the Supreme Court level. It will be harder for SC to avoid the gay marriage issue if they end up having to deal with this guy.

[Peppergirl]

damn, Greenday beet me too it.
I though do like this guy... I hope it goes up to the Supreme Court level. It will be harder for SC to avoid the gay marriage issue if they end up having to deal with this guy.

I have to say, I was appalled with whoever it is on your FB page who was defending his actions.

[fireheart17]

I found a filler article this morning about this issue.

Apparaently the couple wound up getting married via a JP in a nearby town.

[Gravekeeper]

Yeah, there was a follow up on CNN earlier.

Despite the shitstorm of criticism and calls for his resignation, he's sticking by his opinion and doesn't believe he's done anything wrong.

[EmiOfBrie]

Oh yeah, mixed-race people have NO CHANCE, right?

I guess the US President never got that memo. He's mixed-race, technically.

[Mr Slugger]

You know I'm gonna take what is probably the bad side on this one. While I do believe the judge is a racist. And while I think that people have the right to marry who they want. I also have to say that I believe that those that have the power to marry should only have to marry those that their beliefs believe in.

I mean for instance I'm in support of gay marriage, but I'd be pretty pissed if the state forced the catholic church to perform gay marriages. Because as a group they believe it's wrong and won't perform a marriage because it's wrong. So they should be able to make that decision. I think they same goes for if a priest sits down to chat with a couple before marrying them and all they do is fight the whole time. I think the priest should have the right to so nope sorry won't marry you. This judge claims it's because the marriage won't last, and the kids will be unliked. To me if that's his reason then fine. Yes we can all call him a racist, and if you're a mixed racial couple then you know not to go to him for a marriage license. But I think he should be able to have his views, and act on them if he chooses.

[Arcade Man D]

You know I'm gonna take what is probably the bad side on this one. While I do believe the judge is a racist. And while I think that people have the right to marry who they want. I also have to say that I believe that those that have the power to marry should only have to marry those that their beliefs believe in.

I mean for instance I'm in support of gay marriage, but I'd be pretty pissed if the state forced the catholic church to perform gay marriages. Because as a group they believe it's wrong and won't perform a marriage because it's wrong. So they should be able to make that decision. I think they same goes for if a priest sits down to chat with a couple before marrying them and all they do is fight the whole time. I think the priest should have the right to so nope sorry won't marry you. This judge claims it's because the marriage won't last, and the kids will be unliked. To me if that's his reason then fine. Yes we can all call him a racist, and if you're a mixed racial couple then you know not to go to him for a marriage license. But I think he should be able to have his views, and act on them if he chooses.

I'm sorry, but if you are an officer of the government, you check your biases at the door. How'd you like it if some cop didn't arrest the guy who beat you up because "well, I think white people beating up minorities is just fine."

As a judge, he is beholden first to the law, and when his law and his racist ideologies conflict, the law wins.

[Boozy]

Arcade Man is right. There are clear differences between clergy and government officials. The government is supposed to represent all of its citizens. If someone is too intolerant to provide government services to everyone, then they have no right being in a position where they represent the government.

[Mr Slugger]

Sorry it was early when I made my original comments. First off everyone is saying judge, but he's a JP, and around here JPs aren't all that official. I mean they work out of their homes for the most part. They don't sit on a bench in the courthouse. (Honestly I don't know how they work elsewhere though, but I'm sure somewhat the same.) The second thing is he's been a JP for 2 1/2 years, which is fairly new IMHO as a JP. And he's refused to marry 4 couples, which obviously the 4th was the one who complained. So I honestly look at it as this is new JP who thought he could get into the business of marrying people for the state, has no clue about how the law actually works. Decided to input his opinion on marriage and seeing there's no legal structure around what he does he got away with it four times before someone complained.

Should he not be punished for doing this? Hell no. I mean if he was working as government official when he decided not to marry these people then yes he broke some kind of law, and he should be punished. But at the same time I highly doubt the government is governing JPs either. I mean Arcade Man you mentioned the police. But police do racially motivated things all the time, but my understanding is police officers have to write reports about pretty much everything. And if someone back at the station looks through the reports and sees officer john has made 55 traffic stops last month and gave out tickets to 54 black people then I'm sure red flags would be tripped.

He as a person I think has the right to say I don't want to marry interracial couples. An obviously somewhere along the line of JP school (if there is any formal training) they failed to mention that he had to marry everyone. And even after someone failed to mention the first 3 times he said no that "Psst you have to marry the interracial couples too"

[BroomJockey]

First off everyone is saying judge, but he's a JP, and around here JPs aren't all that official.

Where's "here"?

Because according to the 'pedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justice...#United_States , they're just lower court judges.