Our Announcements

Same-Sex Marriage Trends Survey

Posted on March 25, 2025

The Christian Science Monitor is preparing an article about trends in same-sex marriages since the 2024 election, and they’re seeking the officiant perspective. The Justice of the Peace Association created a brief survey to gather your observations on any changes you’ve noticed in wedding trends over the past several months.

Your responses will help provide valuable insight for this important story. Thank you for sharing your experiences!

Take Survey Here

CT JPs testify to Support Legislation

Posted on March 11, 2025

JPus member Jennifer Marshall Nealy testifying to the Planning and Development Committee

Connecticut JPs Walk the Walk

Not content to sit on the sidelines, Connecticut JPs took action to address problems related to JP appointments and the quality and oversight of officiants in the state (HB7150, An Act Concerning Justices of the Peace). Several members of the Justice of the Peace Association took time out of their day to help members of the Planning and Development Committee better understand what officiating marriages is all about. Testimony included the need for training, improving the appointment process, developing systems to address illegal marriages (forced, trafficked and fraudulent), tracking the marriage status of couples and more.

Oral Testimony

JPus Managing Member Loretta Jay was joined by JPus members Jennifer Marshall Nealy, Anna Neumon and Katherine Vass speaking before the Planning and Development Committee on March 10, 2025. Recordings of their testimonies are visible below: Top left: Loretta Jay; top right: Jennifer Marshall Nealy. Bottom left: Anna Neumon; bottom right: Katherine Vass.

Written Testimony

We’re grateful to the JPs who submitted written testimony in support of HB7150.

David Bedell
Dale Kroop

Laura Minor
Anna Neumon

Alan Shaw
Kathleen Taylor
Katherine Vass

In addition, Justice of the Peace Association Managing Member Loretta Jay; Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas; and Mark Bernacki from the Connecticut Town Clerk Association also submitted written testimony supporting the bill. Read all of the written testimony on the Connecticut General Assembly’s website.

Testify in Support of CT JP Bill – 3/10/2025

Posted on March 8, 2025

See our template to guide your written and oral testimony
Oral testimony can be by Zoom or in person. Maximum time allowed is three minutes, though legislators may ask you questions extending your time. Link to sign up is below.

Sign-up to speak or submit written testimony in Support of HB7150

Register to speak in-person or by Zoom. Deadline to sign-up is 3PM Sunday. Three minute time limit. The speaker order is randomized and is released at 6PM on Sunday night.
Submit your written testimony here. The hearing is on March 10, 2025 at 10:30AM. Indicate that you SUPPORT HB7150.

HB7150, An Act Concerning Justices of the Peace

The Justice of the Peace Association worked with the state legislators who introduced the bill, along with Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas on the language of the bill. This is the critical bill to address problems Connecticut JPs have reported:

Establishing training and qualifications for JPs. The bill requires JPs to pass a test following their appointment. Training may be implemented, too.
Inability to transfer JP appointments between municipalities. This will be addressed through a working group tasked with examining issues related to JPs.
Favoritism and discrimination by DTCs and RTC impeding the appointment process. This will also be explored through the working group.
Disparity toward unaffiliated and minor political party voters. The bill is a step in the right direction, creating a second window for non-major political party JPs to be appointed. JPus encourages testimony to support these vacant JP positions being filled at any time, not only during the two periods outlined in the legislation.
Unbefitting JPs that make more work for town clerks and give professional JPs a bad name. This bill defines misconduct and establishes consequences for such behavior.

See the key points and the bill with highlighted language that relates to JPs who perform marriages.

Zoom Q&A, Two Sessions Scheduled Sunday: 9AM or 6PM

Questions? Join JPus’ Managing Member Loretta Jay on Sunday, March 9, 20025 at either 9AM or 6PM for more information about the proposed bill, guidance on how to submit written testimony and how to testify in person or by Zoom. Members and non-members are welcome.

If you are on JPus’ email distribution list, please check your email for the Zoom links.
If you don’t receive our emails yet, you can sign up here. A reminder will be sent on Sunday at 6AM with the link. If you missed that deadline, please email [email protected] to receive the Zoom links.

CT JPs – CoSponsors Needed

Posted on February 16, 2025

Contact YOUR STATE SENATOR and REPRESENTATIVE and ask them to
Co-Sponsor HB 6529 an Act Concerning Justices of the Peace

Please take a few minutes to call or email your Senator and Representative and ask them to cosponsor HB6529. This is the bill that addresses our concerns about JP appointments and qualifications.

Step One:

Look up your State Representative and Senator here. Follow the link to get their phone number and/or email address.
Call or send your State Representative and Senator an email asking them to cosponsor HB6529. Be sure to copy JPus on the email to let us know that you reached out to your legislators so that we can follow-up, too.

See talking points and sample e-mail language below. Please include your experiences so your legislators will recognize that this legislation is important to you — especially if you have been negatively affected by the current system.

See talking points and sample e-mail language below.

Step Two:

Be on the lookout for more information about a public hearing. We will want as many JPs as possible to testify. More info on that coming soon.

Current Situation:

The bill, HB6529, An Act Concerning Justices of the Peace, would:

authorize municipal legislative bodies to fill vacancies in unaffiliated justice of the peace positions,
require the Secretary of the State to oversee training and certification of justices of the peace and
establish a task force to examine issues related to justices of the peace.

If passed, this legislation would create a roadmap to resolve the problems identified in JPus’ 2023 white paper.

Sample E-mail

Please remember to EDIT AND CUSTOMIZE and please copy [email protected] on the message.

Find your State Representative and Senator.

Dear (fill in the blank with your Senator or Representative’s name)

I am a (fill in the blank with Justice of the Peace or Town Clerk) in (Write your town).

Please cosponsor HB 6529, an Act Concerning Justices of the Peace. This much-needed bill will

authorize municipal legislative bodies to fill vacancies in unaffiliated justice of the peace positions,

require the Secretary of the State to oversee training and certification of justices of the peace and

establish a task force to examine issues related to justices of the peace.

This bill will resolve problems that I have experienced. It is important to me.

Please feel free to contact me or Loretta Jay, the managing member of the Justice of the Peace Association, copied on this message, to discuss the details. Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Your Name

Key findings of JPus’ 2023 research

Systemic unfairness in appointment process: Favoritism, inequality between political parties, lack of portability between towns.
Disparity between municipalities: Three different rules are used to determine how many JP slot are available in each city or town.
No training requirement: This creates opportunity for nonfeasance, jeopardizing the legality of marriages and quality of services to the public. Trained JPs are partners to recognize forced marriage and human trafficking and marriage fraud. Thus, they are another team member to protect our most vulnerable.

Marriage Fraud in the News

Posted on November 15, 2024

The Justice of the Peace Association has discussed and reported how the number of couples entering Connecticut for fraudulent marriages has increased since the pandemic. In some towns the clerks have managed to shoo them away. In others, there is a steady stream. Unfortunately the laws do not support JPs refusing to perform the ceremony. But JPus provided training so officiants know how to recognize and respond when they encounter suspected fraudulent marriages.

In the News

Some unscrupulous JPs have been knowingly performing marriages between a US citizen and a non-citizen who do not appear to know each other without taking additional steps to protect the vulnerable. These are some of the published news articles after an expose in New Haven, Connecticut.

On November 7, 2024, the New Haven Independent released its investigative report about a justice of the peace who was performing an extraordinarily high number of what appears to be fraudulent marriages. US citizens marrying mostly Indian nationals. The couples didn’t appear to know each other and they didn’t live in New Haven, where the ceremonies occurred. Other JPs quoted in the article appeared indifferent to the situation, and unaware of the risks to vulnerable populations.
The Mirror published the New Haven Independent’s article in its entirety.
A week later, the Hartford Courant posted a follow-up news article highlighting legislators’ concerns.
National news caught the story and conservative commentator Ann Coulter ran a story, using it to promote her anti-immigration views.

Announcements

Same-Sex Marriage Trends Survey