Announcements

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:

1. Look up your State Representative and Senator here. Follow the link to get their phone number and/or email address.
2. 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.

Related Links

• The Justice of the Peace Association’s white paper
• The legislative backstory.
• JPus 2023 Managing Member’s testimony to the Planning and Development Committee that summarizes the problem.
• Member Support article about how to advocate to support legislation

Action Alert – Chair of the Judiciary Committee, Senator Sharon Carson, intends to have the Judiciary Committee vote on an amendment allowing emancipated minors to marry. Please call Senator Carson’s aide, Matthew Schelzi at 603-271-3266 and tell him you support SB359 to end child marriage, but you oppose an emancipation loophole. Likely he won’t answer the phone, so please leave a voice mail message.

Emancipation is a Loophole

The following explanation describing how emancipation does not protect minors was shared by our partner, Unchained at Last.

• Emancipation is intended to help minors who cannot be reunited with their family by giving them some limited rights of adulthood so they can navigate the world independently until they turn 18 and attain full rights of adulthood. However, emancipated minors are not allowed to engage in activities that are unsafe or inappropriate for their age and are not necessary for their independence, such as buying tobacco, alcohol or firearms or voting (N.H. R.S.A. § 461-B(8)(V)(a)). Given the many serious harms of marriage before 18, which is considered a human rights abuse because of the devastating repercussions it produces, and given that marriage is not necessary for a minor to navigate the world on their own, emancipated minors also should not be allowed to marry.

• An emancipation loophole to the marriage age opens up the terrible possibility that minors will be forced to emancipate so that they can be forced to marry. Advocates have told Unchained they already see something similar happening in the United Kingdom, with parents setting up children with a fake job at the family business and a bank account the children cannot actually access, so the courts believe the children have an income and assets.

• Emancipated minors have only some rights of adulthood and still can become trapped in an unwanted marriage. For example, domestic violence shelters typically do not accept anyone under age 18, usually because of funding guidelines or concerns about liability. In Unchained’s experience, domestic violence shelters are reluctant to accept even emancipated minors. Further, emancipated minors often have a hard time accessing even the rights they do have. Imagine, for example, how a landlord would feel about renting an apartment to a 17-year-old, even one who is emancipated.

• To illustrate how emancipated teens often have a difficult time accessing their rights, take New Jersey Asm. Raj Mukherji. He was emancipated when he was a teenager and a “wunderkind” entrepreneur. He told Unchained even though he was legally allowed to enter contracts (and even though he was clearly brilliant and mature), he often had an adult business partner do so on his behalf because business associates were too skeptical and confused about entering contracts with a teenage boy. (Mukherji signed on as a co-sponsor to the bill that ended child marriage in New Jersey in 2018.)

• An emancipation loophole removes one of the only options Unchained and other advocates have to help minors whose family is taking them overseas for a forced marriage. Unchained and other advocates usually help such minors to emancipate, but advocates cannot do that if emancipation means the parents can marry off the minor without taking them overseas.

• Indeed, just months after Texas passed a bill in 2017 that allowed child marriage only for emancipated teens, that loophole trapped a 16-year-old Unchained client in a nightmarish scenario. Her parents were planning to take her overseas to force her to marry, and the courts refused to intervene to stop the trip. Unchained would have helped the girl to seek emancipation so she could refuse to travel with her parents, but, with the new law in place, Unchained could not seek emancipation for the girl out of fear her parents would immediately pounce on her emancipated status and coerce her to marry in Texas. If the new law in Texas were a “brightline” law preventing all marriage before 18, without an emancipation exception, the girl could have sought emancipation. She would have then had two years to finish high school, find a college and plan her next steps without concern that her parents would pressure or trick her into marriage.

• Marriage before 18 is a human rights abuse that destroys American girls’ health, education and economic opportunities and significantly increases their risk of experiencing violence. The devastating impacts of this human rights abuse do not disappear if we stamp “emancipated” on a girl’s forehead.

• The whole world, including the U.S., has promised to end child marriage by year 2030, under United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5.3, to help achieve gender equality. If other countries attempted to get around this worthy goal by emancipating girls before marriage and then insisting it is no longer “child marriage,” we would cry foul. So let’s not allow it in the U.S.

Related Links

• Information about our advocacy and partnerships for officiants about child and forced marriage.
• Education and training for officiants about child and forced marriage
• JPus has been on the forefront of legislative activity to end child marriage in other states
• Follow our state-by-state changes to marriage laws
• How membership voted to join the Coalition to End Child Marriage
• Working with our partners amplifies our voice and helps achieve our goals

The New Hampshire Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on SB359, a bill to end child marriage in the state. All New Hampshire residents are invited to sign onto JPus’ letter in support of the bill.

• Read JPus’ Letter to the Judiciary Committee  urging the passage of this bill.
• Add your name to our list of supporters and sign onto JPus’ letter

NH residents can also testify to the Senate Judiciary Committee: In-person on Thursday, February 1, 2024 at 9:15, Room 100 of the State House. If you will be testifying, please let JPus know so we can coordinate efforts.

Related Links

• Read about efforts to end child marriage in New Hampshire
• Information about our advocacy and partnerships for officiants about child and forced marriage.
• Education and training for officiants about child and forced marriage
• JPus has been on the forefront of legislative activity to end child marriage in other states
• Follow our state-by-state changes to marriage laws
• How membership voted to join the Coalition to End Child Marriage
• Working with our partners amplifies our voice and helps achieve our goals

Brainstorming

On October 10, 2023, Connecticut Secretary of State Stephanie Thomas met with JPus managing member Loretta Jay, State Representative Cristin McCarthy Vahey (Fairfield, Bridgeport) and SOTS chief of staff, Gabe Rosenberg to develop a strategy to professionalize the role of JPs in the state.

Discussions focused on the importance of training, protecting vulnerable citizens and fairness of the appointment process. Potential partners were identified and marching orders established. Onward!

Related Links

• Efforts to address problems with JP appointments in Connecticut
• Read JPus’ white paper, Civil Marriage Officiants in Connecticut: Solutions to Unburden the JP Appointment Process
• See JPus’s survey results about officiant qualifications and appointments
• See how JPus is advocating to address the problems with amateur officiants
• Learn about the JP and notary role, state-by-state
• We advocate on other marriage-related issues

Ninth State in the US

It is fitting that after championing an end to child marriage in Connecticut, Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz was the one who signed the bill that protects children from marriage before they have legal protections. The Justice of the Peace Association is thrilled that its managing member, Loretta Jay, was invited to partake in the momentous occasion. This is an important recognition that our membership’s voice was heard, standing together, professional marriage officiants.

Related Links

• See JPus’ legislative activity to end child marriage in Connecticut
• Watch our online panel discussion with Connecticut leaders about child marriage.
• Landing page for JPus activity involving child marriage in all of our states.
• Follow our state-by-state changes to marriage laws
• Education and training for officiants about child and forced marriage
• How membership voted to join the Coalition to End Child Marriage.
• Our partnerships with other organizations amplifies our voice.

Please take a few minutes to email your Senator and Representative and ask them to vote YES on SB1140 inclusive of Section 3, creating a JP Working Group

1. Look up your State Representative and Senator
2. Call or send your State Representative and Senator an email asking them to support SB1140 – Inclusive of Section 3.

Current Situation

Talking Points and Background on SB1140,
An Act Concerning the Appointment of Justices of the Peace

Key findings of JPus’ 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.

Related Links

• JPus Managing Member’s testimony to the Planning and Development Committee that summarizes the problem.
• The Justice of the Peace Association’s white paper
• The legislative backstory on SB1140.

We’ve heard the complaints from JPs and Town Clerks about Connecticut’s JP appointment process and the lack of JP qualifications. As a result, last year the Justice of the Peace Association took action and performed extensive research. And then, last month we released our white paper with our findings.

Related Links

• Read JPus’ white paper, Civil Marriage Officiants in Connecticut: Solutions to Unburden the JP Appointment Process
• Details about these efforts and how we advocate for change
• See JPus’s survey results about officiant qualifications and appointments
• See how JPus is advocating to address the problems with amateur officiants
• Learn about the JP and notary role, state-by-state
• We advocate on other marriage-related issues

JPus was honored when Connecticut Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz invited its managing member to speak at her press conference imploring the end of child marriage in Connecticut. On March 13, 2023, Loretta Jay joined child marriage survivors, other advocates, State Legislators, the DCF Commissioner and the Lt. Governor to urge the passage of HB6569.

Watch Press Conference

Related Links

• Legislative activity in Connecticut to end child marriage, including JPus’ testimony to legislators.
• Information and a link to view JPus’ panel discussion about child marriage in Connecticut.
• Landing page for JPus activity involving child marriage in all of our states.
• Education and training for officiants about child and forced marriage
• How membership voted to join the Coalition to End Child Marriage.

CALL TO ACTION in VERMONT
End Child Marriage

Ask the YOUR REPRESENTATIVE to Vote YES on H 148

Related Links

It is official, and the Justice of the Peace Association is deeply honored to witness the momentous and long-overdue occasion. On September 9, 2022, Governor Charlie Baker ceremoniously signed the bill that ended child marriage in the state of Massachusetts.

After the private bill signing, speeches and celebration followed on the interior steps of the State House. It was an exciting day recognizing all of the hard work that went into protecting the state’s children from the human rights abuse of child marriage.

Photos

• JPus managing member Loretta Jay with Representative Kay Khan. Rep Khan and Senator Harriet Chandler led the legislative efforts for six years until the bill finally passed.
• The ceremonial pen
• Governor Baker with legislators and advocates
• JPus Managing Member Loretta Jay with the Unchained at Last crowd: Executive Director Fraidy Reiss, Samantha Marder and Becca Powell.
• Fierce advocates: Senator Chandler, Survivor Jenn, Representative Khan, Representative Ruth Balser

Related Links

• See email from MA Representative Kay Khan thanking the state Coalition members
• Take JPus’ training for marriage officiants about child and forced marriage.
• Read about JPus’ efforts to end child marriage in all of the states we serve.
• JPus managing member’s LinkedIn article and interview about child marriage
• Learn about JPus members’ vote to join the Coalition to End Child Marriage.
• Our partners in the fight against child marriage, Unchained at Last and Tahirih Justice Center.