Bridgeport grapples with city hall marriage glut, unregulated justices of the peace By Brian Lockhart, Staff Writer BRIDGEPORT — Councilman Jorge Cruz has a simple solution to the issue of justices of the peace conducting business in the Margaret Morton Government Center on Broad Street. "Don't do marriages at city hall. Come up with another place," Cruz said. Mayor Joe Ganim's administration has begun grappling with problems involving weddings at the government center, where couples go to obtain a marriage license from the vital records office off of the first-floor lobby. Ganim's new chief administrative officer, Thomas Gaudett, on Monday issued . . .
JPus in the News
JPus News Category: Amateur officiants
Union Leader: 7/17/2020
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 . . .
Stamford Advocate: 3/6/2020
When the Stamford Advocate ran a story about the Census Bureau's announcement that the marriage rate in Connecticut is the lowest in the country, JPus managing member Loretta Jay supposed a reason for the decline. To the Editor: The recent story, Marriage rates in Connecticut lowest in US (Feb 25, 2020) makes me wonder. Is this a reflection of society’s willingness to treat the legal act of marrying so flippantly? Online officiants became a thing in 2001, after Joey on Friends got ordained to officiate Monica and Chandler’s wedding. Oddly, they became a trend. Even though Joey’s performance was filled . . .
Hartford Courant: 1/3/2020
The Hartford Courant published JPus Managing Member Loretta Jay's letter to the editor, espousing the professionalism of JPs. Hartford Magazine's article stressed the importance of officiants to wedding ceremonies, without mentioning the problems when amateurs are involved. Friends, family members acting as wedding officiants can cause problems To the Editor: Nice to see that the Hartford Magazine’s story, Who Will Officiate? The Third Voice at a Wedding Ceremony (Monday, December 23, 2019) recognized that officiants can make or break a ceremony. In addition to bringing flexibility to the service, as the story conveyed, Justices of the Peace (JPs) also bring much . . .
Press Release: 1/13/2019
Changes to 1-Day Solemnizer Rule Recommended FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 13, 2019, Fairfield, CT. Significant problems with the state’s one-day solemnizer rule were identified by the Justice of the Peace Association in a white paper submitted to Governor Charlie Baker’s office last week. The Governor appoints Justices of the Peace to perform marriages and process the paperwork required to make the relationship legal. The one-day solemnizer rule allows friends and family to officiate, oftentimes with troublesome results. Most people think when the officiant says “I now pronounce you...” is the most important part of the marriage. But in reality, witnessing . . .
Press Release: 1/13/2019
Temporary marriage officiants - Judiciary hearing on Wednesday FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 13, 2019, Fairfield, CT. The New Hampshire House of Representatives’ Judiciary Committee is holding a public hearing on Wednesday to temporarily authorize anyone to solemnize a marriage in the state. New Hampshire has the benefit of learning from its neighbors to the south. Massachusetts has a lay-officiant rule that has caused significant problems. Beyond belittling professional JPs, it has doubled the workload for municipal clerks and created chaos for couples whose marriages were invalid. The Justice of the Peace Association submitted a white paper to MA Governor Charlie . . .
Boston Globe: 7/9/2018
Most important vow for justices of peace is the one to get key details right On June 19, 2018 the Boston Globe ran a story saying that JPs aren’t getting calls for weddings because couples are having friends and family members officiate using the state’s One-Day Solemnizer rule. JPus was concerned about this, as it mischaracterized the important legal (and professional) role that JPs have, and failed to mention all of the problems that ensue from a lay-officiant. The Boston Globe published JPus’ letter to the editor on July 9, 2018, and we’ve been in discussions with the reporter for the original piece. She . . .