"...they use my bathroom...."

From Yahoo News:

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.

"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.
....

Beth Humphrey, 30, and 32-year-old Terence McKay, both of Hammond, say they will consult the U.S. Justice Department about filing a discrimination complaint.

Ah, but the justice of the peace did it only out of concern for the as yet non-existent children of the couple. After all, he lets his black friends use his bathroom, which does NOT have a "Whites Only" sign. See. He is not a racist.

I lived in Hammond, Louisiana, in Tangipahoa Parish, for 5 years, and I did not like it there. Thibodaux is a liberal town compared to what Hammond was back then. Since we moved away some 40 years ago, Hammond has grown quite a bit, because two Interstate highways now intersect just outside of town. I assume an influx of new people moved in, and the town may have changed, but surely not a flip-flop, with Justice of the Peace Bardwell as Exhibit A.

Thanks to Roger and Ann for the link.

UPDATE: From NOLA.Com:

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.

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.

UPDATE 2: From CNN:

The actions of a justice of the peace in Louisiana who refused to issue a marriage licence to an interracial couple have prompted some top officials, including Gov. Bobby Jindal, to call for his dismissal.
....

Sen. Mary L. Landrieu, D-Louisiana, said the committee should "use its authority to have Justice Bardwell dismissed from his position."

"Not only does [Bardwell's] decision directly contradict Supreme Court rulings, it is an example of the ugly bigotry that divided our country for too long," she said.

There you have it. I think he'll be out.