JPus in the News

06880: 3/8/2021

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Justices of the Peace: The Legacy Continues Saul Haffner died in 2017. He was 87. He served on the RTM, was a member of the Y’s Men, and taught photography and writing at the Senior Center and Norwalk Community College. Saul was a US Army veteran. He was an engineer who worked on NASA’s Gemini program, and a professor of business and marketing at Sacred Heart University. But he is best known as a justice of the peace. In fact, he may have been the nation’s foremost authority on the subject. In 2009, I profiled him for “06880.” Saul and his wife Barbara Jay founded the Justice of the Peace Association (JPus) in 2001. At the dawn of the internet age, they wanted to connect couples and officiants in a personalized fashion. An early advocate of marriage equality, he and Barbara created professional conferences on all aspects of a JP’s role. Saul and ...

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Press Releases: 3/1/2021

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Virtual Conference for Marriage Officiants on March 13, 2021 In anticipation of the Justice of the Peace Association’s Virtual Conference on March 13, 2021, JPus sent out variations of a press release highlighting member and speakers at the event. Following is a compilation of some that received attention. The Hartford Courant: March 5, 2021 Justices of the Peace gathering virtually for conference STATEWIDE — Justices of the Peace will be gathering virtually on March 13 to boost their ceremony-performing skills and keep up with policies impacting their services. The Fairfield based Justice of the Peace Association is hosting the conference, which runs from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Visit www.JPus.org for more information. Participants from throughout Connecticut and other New England states will hear a panel discussion between Fairfield State Representative Cristin McCarthy-Vahey and legislators from New Hampshire and Massachusetts addressing matters that impact officiants — including online officiants, virtual ceremonies and ...

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Union Leader: 7/17/2020

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The following op-ed was published in the New Hampshire Union Leader on July 17, 2020. It calls for Governor Sununu to issue an executive order to undo the temporary marriage officiant authorization. Loretta Jay: Amendment undermines marriages... literally ON THE second to last day of the session, the New Hampshire Senate tacked an unrelated amendment onto a guaranteed-to-pass bill. This move, done without notifying constituents, gives anyone temporary authorization to officiate a marriage. This will increase the risk of coronavirus spread. The House passed the bill the next day. New Hampshire needs Governor Sununu to step in and halt this irresponsible action. Unlike professional marriage officiants, lay officiants are careless; up to 90% make serious errors. New Hampshire is taking extraordinary measures to stay safe during the pandemic. It is counter-intuitive to compound the danger by suddenly loosening rules -- especially around high-risk group gatherings. States that have lay officiants ...

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Boston Globe: 4/27/2020

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‘Are we ready for a wedding?’ Couples wrangle with nuptials amid coronavirus By Danny McDonald, Globe Staff. Updated April 27, 2020, 12:00pm. MALDEN - By any standard, this does not look like a traditional wedding venue. A large, L-shaped couch dominates the space. An elaborate lighting fixture hangs down from the ceiling. The floor tiles are a utilitarian gray. And upon them are stacks of brown Amazon packages awaiting pickup. But in the age of COVID-19, the lobby of a modern apartment building is the new hotel ballroom. Many couples have scrambled to postpone their big day until everyone can gather again. But others are moving forward in the midst of the pandemic, albeit with drastically different ceremonies. That means this lobby had hosted five marriages since the start of the pandemic thanks to Barbara M. Kahn, a justice of the peace who lives at the residential complex. On Friday, ...

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Press Release: 4/6/2020

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Plan B Marriages April 6, 2020, Fairfield, CT. Despite the fear and uncertainty that comes with the coronavirus pandemic, justices of the peace are supporting loving couples who want – or need - to tie the knot. They are epitomizing what it means to be a professional officiant, providing expertise during the most challenging times. Governor Lamont signed an executive order making marriage license application procedures more flexible. In doing so, he permitted socially distanced nuptials, acknowledging that officiating a marriage can be an essential service. “While our communities are loaded with angst, love is prevailing. JPs are rising to the occasion and getting creative, meeting couples at a social distance, and officiating their marriages. It takes a little resourcefulness, and a lot of flexibility. But it is working.” says Loretta Jay, managing member of the Justice of the Peace Association. “Through our online resources, we emphasize safety, for the ...

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