Tying the Knot can be a tangle. By: Lynne Tuohy, Courant Staff 11/19/2006 NEW BRITAIN - Justices of the peace usually work in an atmosphere of joy and celebration, joining partners in marriage and civil unions amid a throng of well-wishers with champagne chilling in the background. But it can be harrowing work at times. Just ask Eleanor Tomaszewski of Middletown, a justice of the peace for 18 years. Over coffee before the second annual Conference for Connecticut Justices of the Peace got underway Saturday at Central Connecticut State University, Tomaszewski launched into an impromptu comedy routine of her experiences. "Scariest wedding I've ever done in my life," she begins. The couple wanted to be married at a Portland quarry. No problem, she thinks. She arrives to gusting winds and is escorted down a ramp that leads to a floating raft protruding into the quarry. One of the guests asks ...
JP conference grows By: Francine Maglione, Herald Staff 11/11/2006 NEW BRITAIN - One year after Connecticut legalized civil unions, justices of the peace are more popular than ever. On Nov. 18, hundreds of justices of the peace will converge on Central Connecticut State University to attend the second annual Justice of the Peace Conference. The conference will take place in the Constitution Room in the university's Memorial Hall, and is hosted by the Justice of the Peace Association, located in Westport. "We're trying to build a community of justices of the peace," said Barbara Jay, president of the Justice of the Peace Association. According to the association, there are almost 300 justices of the peace in New Britain alone. Last year's conference took place at Middlesex Community College and over 200 justices of the peace from across the state showed up. "It was such a great networking event we decided ...
A Conversation with Saul Haffner By Stacey Dresner Jewish Ledger, January 6, 2006 [pdf-embedder url="https://www.findajp.com/jpus/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/11/JewishLedger2006.pdf"]
The big day nears: What to wear, What to say Four years ago, along with her husband, Saul Haffner, a justice of the peace, Barbara Jay started Justices of the Peace of Connecticut, an organization that helps couples find people in their communities to preside over their weddings. The organization has since expanded into three more states and is now called Justices of the Peace of the U.S. As of Tuesday, 165 people were expected to attend the JPus conference, including justices of the peace, town clerks and clergy members. Read article here.
9/25/05 Justices of the Peace Prepare to Marry Gays Connecticut’s new law allowing same-sex civil unions takes effect next weekend, and justices of the peace are still learning how to handle the new ceremonies. “On Oct. 1, civil unions become law in Connecticut, but there is not a JP in that room who knows what to do with it,” said Saul Haffner, president of Justices of the Peace of Connecticut, which held a conference Saturday on the law. “It’s going to be a mess.” Read article here.
