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I'm wondering if the writs to perform came at him at the speed of sound or light after this aired. Here's someone who I am sure will not be employed tomorrow morning, and rightfully so. Man is in a severe need of a provolone beatdown. For the record this does not represent the great state of Louisiana or its people, just a loser.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/oct/15/interracial-couple-denied-marriage-license-in-la/

Interracial couple denied marriage license in La.
The Associated Press

Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009 | 1:07 p.m.

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."

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.

I guess, at the very least, he didn't try to hide behind some alternative justification.

That's just absurd. There are more interracial children now than fifty years ago, and they are far more accepted than before. It's not perfect, there will always be some racist ass-hats, but that's the way it goes. However, racism is pretty solidified in the south, so idiots like him are gonna pop up from time to time.

warpcrafter wrote:That's just absurd. There are more interracial children now than fifty years ago, and they are far more accepted than before. It's not perfect, there will always be some racist ass-hats, but that's the way it goes. However, racism is pretty much everywhere, so idiots like him are gonna pop up from time to time.

Corrected your typo.

Generalizations that racism is solidified in the south is bull gak. I lived in Louisiana for 22 years and Houston, TX for 11 years. We get along fine, thanks.

Yes, this Justice of the Peace is an ass hat and should lose his job.

He will. Thats an excellent way to have that happen. Dakka's favorite crazy uncle in the closet approves this occurring, and quickly.

As She Who Must Be Obeyed would say, "he needs to go himself."

Wow that jackass should serve time in prison for abusing his power like that.

Mixed races ftw

They're polluting my pure blood! lol

Wow. Throwback to the past huh? Justify racism through concern for the children.

Stupid children...

Wow,where to start?,well I guess I'll begin by saying I am both originaly from Louisiana (New Orleans) and in an interracial relationship.
Now, I can say that with the exception of the ocasional idiot my girlfriend and I have had little problems from any one,however we are not married,so it makes me wonder if we may encounter these sorts of problems if we(one day) decide to tie the knot.
As for children of interracial couples not being accepted by various races,sure,it happens,morons come in all colors.
However,I'm happy to say that our children (we have two)have many friends of many races,and fortunatly havn't had to contend with (much) "race rejection",of course both of them relize (as much as children can),that judging people by race is ridiculous.
I actualy see this gentleman as a sad& pathetic throwback,whos out dated concepts are,slowly but surely,disapearing.

"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."

Of course unless they are gay.

And...I...am...outta here!

I feel some empathy for the judge; it seemed like he was upfront about his reasons, and it seems like someone who was maliciously racist would come up with some sort of alternate excuse for not allowing it to go through (so that they can continue to work on keeping "the races pure", or whatever).

That said, it was simply not his place to say. It wasn't legal, it wasn't what his job was, it's not his decision to make. So really, he ought to be removed from office if he's going to act like that.

Orkeosaurus wrote:I feel some empathy for the judge; it seemed like he was upfront about his reasons, and it seems like someone who was maliciously racist would come up with some sort of alternate excuse for not allowing it to go through (so that they can continue to work on keeping "the races pure", or whatever).

That said, it was simply not his place to say. It wasn't legal, it wasn't what his job was, it's not his decision to make. So really, he ought to be removed from office if he's going to act like that.

He wasn't a judge, just a Justice of the Peace. He is appointed by a judge though.

And to further go on what Ahtman said....man what kinda hornet's nest will this stir up?

Psh, should have read more carefully. Yeah, I suppose a judge would probably know better. (Probably.)

My ex-wifes dad used to say that interracial couples were God's way of weeding out the ugly ones. He used to claim that you could have the ugliest possible daddy and momma of different races, and they would produce the most incredibly beautiful children.

Me? I like a little variety in my diet. And any racist who says that black women are ugly because they are black obviously never heard of Hale Berry. YUM!

Every race has it's gems. Blacks have Halle; Whites have Taylor Swift; Asians have Tia Carrere or Lucy Liu; Hispanics have....umm Selena (though she's dead so hope nobody finds her attractive anymore).

Are you kidding? Taylor Swift is the best you can do for whites? And Tia Carrare? Halle beats them both, in a giant martini glass covered in whipped cream. Hands down.

Halle Berry is one of the beautiful interracial children. Saying she is black is only half right.

Fateweaver wrote: Hispanics have....umm Selena

Salma Hayek?
Shakira?
Eva Mendes?
Eva Longoria Parker?

Now we're talking, dogma. Good save.

dogma wrote:

Fateweaver wrote: Hispanics have....umm Selena

Salma Hayek?
Shakira?
Eva Mendes?
Eva Longoria Parker?

Dudes, did you NOT notice who won the Olympics? It wasn't for their freaking dominance in semiconductors

Wait he is concerned about non-existing children?
WTF Luasiana. your hot sauce is so great why would you stoop so low.

garret wrote:Wait he is concerned about non-existing children?
WTF Luasiana. your hot sauce is so great why would you stoop so low.

It is thought that they would be disliked by both races as well as having personal issues with identity. Look at Tiger Woods and Halle Berry. They both get called black even though that isn't accurate. There is a pressure to simply define ones self in our culture in a way that is easy to digest. Some people, such as our sublte bigot friend in the article, think that is unfair and a kid shouldn't have to deal with that.

Just remembered a Christian youth retreat in the Rockies I went to where one night everyone was sitting around singing and they asked us, the beautiful ones, if there were any questions. Mostly standard stuff but i asked what they thought about interracial marriage and they all said they had nothing against bu they thought it was a bad idea becuase of the kids.

This has nothing more to do with Christians or Christianity other than to explain where i was.

whitedragon wrote:

He wasn't a judge, just a Justice of the Peace. He is appointed by a judge though.

And to further go on what Ahtman said....man what kinda hornet's nest will this stir up?

I'm not sure a JP is an appointed position in Louisiana. Perhaps a Louisiana citizen could elaborate on this.

In Texas, JP's are elected and they are the only judges not required to be an attorney.

Ahtman wrote: Look at Tiger Woods and Halle Berry. They both get called black even though that isn't accurate. There is a pressure to simply define ones self in our culture in a way that is easy to digest.

When I was living in New Orleans, a "Black"(even though he was part Irish) friend of mine told me how he met with some Africans as part of a student group.
The Africans straight up told them that even though they called themselves Black, not one student in the group would be considered so in Africa.
Another thing I learned in New Orleans was the antagonism that crops up between light skinned and dark skinned "Blacks".
The light skinned ones get called "high yellow" and by the dark skinned ones and the dark skinned ones get looked down on by the lighter ones.
This is of course isn't the case for all, but there seemed to be a sizable portion that thought this way.