Louisiana Justice Of The Peace Denies Interracial Couple Marriage License

By Alan with comments October 15, 2009 21:13

Keith Bardwell, Justice of the Peace in Tangipahoa Parish, has refused to issue a marriage license to Beth Humphrey and Terrence McKay because he says these marriages don’t last long and he’s concerned for any potential children they may have.

“I’m not a racist. I just don’t believe in mixing the races that way,” Bardwell told the Associated Press on Thursday. “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.”

 

Bardwell said he asks everyone who calls about marriage if they are a mixed race couple. If they are, he does not marry them, he said.

 

The couple says they’ll consult with the US Department of Justice about filing a discrimination suit.  If these marriages were not permitted, one has to wonder who would be president of the United States right now.