Louisiana justice of the peace refuses to marry interracial couples
A justice of the peace in Louisiana refuses to perform marriages of interracial couples because he believes most of society wouldn’t accept their offspring, the Associated Press is reporting.
AP reporter Mary Foster quotes Keith Bardwell, justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish:
“I’m not a racist. I just don’t believe in mixing the races that way. I have piles and piles of black friends. They come to my home, I marry them, they use my bathroom. I treat them just like everyone else.”
“There is a problem with both groups accepting a child from such a marriage. I think those children suffer and I won’t help put them through it.”
“I’ve been a justice of the peace for 34 years and I don’t think I’ve mistreated anybody. 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.”
Foster reports that Bardwell explained that if he performed an interracial marriage for one couple, he must do the same for all. “I try to treat everyone equally,” he told her.
Foster reports that the couple will consult the U.S. Justice Department about filing a discrimination complaint.
The couple are Beth Humphrey, 30, and Terence McKay, 32, both of Hammond, La. Humphrey, who is white, is an account manager for a marketing firm. She told Foster that she plans to enroll in the University of New Orleans to pursue a masters degree in minority politics. McKay, who is black, is a welder.
Foster’s article contains this reaction from the ACLU:
“It is really astonishing and disappointing to see this come up in 2009,” said American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana attorney Katie Schwartzmann. She said the Supreme Court ruled in 1967 “that the government cannot tell people who they can and cannot marry.”
The ACLU sent a letter to the Louisiana Judiciary Committee, which oversees the state justices of the peace, asking them to investigate Bardwell and recommending “the most severe sanctions available, because such blatant bigotry poses a substantial threat of serious harm to the administration of justice.”
“He knew he was breaking the law, but continued to do it,” Schwartzmann said.
(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
Loading ...
Steve Parker is the deputy managing editor for news, and oversees the Post-Dispatch's front page. STLtoday's online news editors are on his newsroom team. Parker has been at the paper since September 1980. 
Who does this judge think he is? Follow the law judge, it isn’t your place to make these decisions. This guy should be taken from the bench immediately and not re-instated. This isn’t good for anybody. This really gets my goat…he is hurting race relations well beyond what he thinks he is doing. I bet this guy says “y’all” a lot. what do you think?
This just blows one away every time you read about something like this but the truth is many White people feel this way, but for this justice to break the law is what truly blows me away. He should certainly be disbarred, point blank.
Whites cannot fathom injustices but Blacks are very use to them is why bi-racial children concern most White people but these same White people sometimes refuse to acknowledge that America can very much be considered easily, a racist society.
Injustices
# Violation of another’s rights or of what is right; lack of justice.
# A specific unjust act; a wrong
My grandmother was done wrong when I was about 4 years old she was murdered while trying to stop a man from raping my aunt. The guy that did it didn’t get life in prison. I consider that to be a lack of justice since my grandmother never gets to walk around free again. My family has to bring up old pain every 3-5 years and go to Parole hearings to describe why this man should not be let out free to walk around. I consider that to be unjust and wrong…but no…no D Walker whites we can’t fathom injustices at all…you are so right.
This couple should be allowed to marry no matter what.
Maybe its just me, but if you have to start an explanation of your actions with, “I’m not a racist…”, you probably are.
D Walker, your generalizations of what white people think are as bad as the generalizations by white people about what black people think. Let me know when you figure that out on your own.
This made in just under the wire in time for voting. Congratulations–this is the most ridiculous thing I have heard/read all this week.
It must be nice to enforce only the laws one agrees with.
This was an issue in my youth, but that was 40 years ago. The world has turned a few times since then.
Sorry Mr Bardwell, despite your protestations, your beliefs about “mixing races” just do not hold water.
“I’ve been a justice of the peace for 34 years and I don’t think I’ve mistreated anybody. I’ve made some mistakes, but you have too. I did’nt tell this couple they couldn’t’t get married. I just told them I would’nt do it.”
What is it that you people don’t understand with the above paragraph. He did nothing illegal. sound just like what you people did to RUSH. That couple could have went to another parish and had a marriage certificate issued by another Justice of the peace. But, because its a black man you can’t stand for anyone to say no to them. If you people would just worry about how to stop the THUGS that roam the streets killing at will, you would be better off.
I read this story yesterday, and couldn’t believe I hadn’t been sucked through a time warp back 40 years. Having said that, making generalizations about rural, white, Louisiananans (that he probably says “y’all” a lot, etc) is no better than generalizations about other races.
Rachel,
I should have stated racial injustices.