A justice of the peace in northern Louisiana has refused to grant a marriage license to an interracial couple because he believes it would harm any children born of that relationship.


ā€œI’m not a racist,ā€ Keith Bardwell, justice of the peace in the state's Tangihapoa Parish, told the Hammond, Louisiana, Daily Star. ā€œI do ceremonies for black couples right here in my house. My main concern is for the children.ā€

The Louisiana chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union is calling the justice's move "tragic and illegal."

The Hammond Daily Star reports:

Beth Humphrey, 30, said she and her boyfriend, Terence McKay, 32, both of Hammond, intend to consult the US Justice Department about filing a discrimination complaint.

Humphrey said she called Bardwell Oct. 6 to inquire about getting a marriage license signed. She said Bardwell’s wife told her that Bardwell will not sign marriage licenses for interracial couples.

The paper quotes the justice of the peace as saying that ā€œ99 percent of the timeā€ an interracial couple will consist of a black man and white woman, and ā€œI find that rather confusing.ā€

Evidently, Bardwell has long had a policy of not marrying interracial couples, and admitted that Louisiana's attorney general had warned him years ago that he could "get into trouble" because of it.

ā€œI told him if I do, I’ll resign,ā€ Bardwell told the Daily Star. ā€œI have rights too. I’m not obligated to do that just because I’m a justice of the peace.ā€

Bardwell said that neither black nor white society accepts the offspring of an interracial couple, and the children suffer as a result. He also stated that interracial families are unstable, and the children of these families often end up in the care of grandparents.

ā€œIn my heart, I feel the children will later suffer,ā€ he said, adding that "if he does an interracial marriage for one couple, he must do the same for all," the Daily Star writes.

ā€œI try to treat everyone equally,ā€ he said.

Humphrey and McKay are considering filing a discrimination complaint with the US Justice Department.