The Problem In New Hampshire, under ethically questionable circumstances, legislators passed a bill allowing amateur wedding officiants. This happened despite the significant problems with Vermont and Massachusetts’ lay-officiant rules. Beyond belittling professional JPs and creating loopholes that put vulnerable citizens at risk, town clerks in both states complain that temporary officiants have doubled their workload and jeopardized the validity of marriages. Now with the coronavirus, they increase the risk of community spread, too. Legislative Activity 2020 A bill to allow special marriage officiants, HB1599, was introduced for the 2020 legislative session; it died in the House. Under guise of the […]
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Find JP by State
Justice of the Peace, Notaries, and Wedding Officiants Listing on findaJP.com for: ★ Connecticut ★ Florida ★ Maine ★ Massachusetts ★ New Hampshire ★ Vermont
MA One-Day Solemnizers
The Problem Justice of the Peace Association members have long decried the problem of the lay officiant. In Massachusetts the One-Day Solemnizer causes particular distress. The Governor’s office appoints both One-Dayers and JPs, but treats each differently. This puts professional JPs at a disadvantage. In response to a request from Governor Baker’s office, JPus submitted a white paper that identified four problems with the rule: The state treats lay and professional officiants differently and unfairly, to the detriment of JPs. Municipal town clerks complain that as many as 90% of One-Day Solemnizers made significant legal errors, doubling the amount of […]
Justices of the Peace Needed: 8/12/2019
August 12, 2019 South Burlington, VT. New opportunity for civic-minded, people-oriented Vermonters to get involved. The Justice of the Peace Association and the Vermont Municipal Clerks’ and Treasurers’ Association (VMCTA) are teaming up to engage residents to become justices of the peace. JPs, as they are informally called, are entrusted to help with elections, hear tax appeals and officiate weddings. How to become a Justice of the Peace? Candidates for JP’s are solicited by the political parties in their town during their bi-annual caucuses in July (next one is in 2020) and those names are placed on the ballot in […]
Justices of the Peace Needed
August 12, 2019 South Burlington, VT. New opportunity for civic-minded, people-oriented Vermonters to get involved. The Justice of the Peace Association and the Vermont Municipal Clerks’ and Treasurers’ Association (VMCTA) are teaming up to engage residents to become justices of the peace. JPs, as they are informally called, are entrusted to help with elections, hear tax appeals and officiate weddings. How to become a Justice of the Peace? Candidates for JP’s are solicited by the political parties in their town during their bi-annual caucuses in July (next one is in 2020) and those names are placed on the ballot in […]
JP Appointments Bill in Jeopardy
Contact YOUR STATE SENATOR and REPRESENTATIVE ask them to Vote YES on SB1140 Inclusive of Section 3 Working Group 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 Look up your State Representative and Senator Call or send your State Representative and Senator an email asking them to support SB1140 – Inclusive of Section 3. See talking points and sample e-mail language below. The details are important. Current Situation On May 16, 2023, a new amendment was submitted in the Senate that guts the part […]
New Britain Herald: 10/25/2008
Justices Welcome Same-Sex Marriages Saturday, October 25, 2008 By: Jennifer Sprague DURHAM – Justices of the peace from throughout the state weighed in on the issue of same-sex marriage Saturday at their annual conference, held at Durham Town Hall. Although town clerks were told by the state’s Department of Public Health that Tuesday is the official release date of the court’s gay-marriage decision, Ben Klein, attorney for the Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, said Oct. 10 same-sex couples will not be able to wed until mid-November. Regardless of the effective date, town clerks have not been told when the […]
Connecticut Post: 3/23/2024
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 […]
About Vermont JPs
Looking for a Vermont wedding officiant? Visit findaJP.com to learn more about Vermont wedding laws and to Search for a Vermont Justice of the Peace. Are you a Vermont JP? Learn more about the benefits of a JPus membership. NEW! Check out our Vermont Member Rate Sheet to learn more about discounted memberships: 50% discount for all Vermont JPs. Use coupon code VERMONT. How to become a Vermont Justice of the Peace Information from the Vermont Justice of the Peace Guide To become a justice of the peace, you must be elected at a general election or be appointed to […]
JP Appointments
[twocol_one] Connecticut’s Political System Each state with marriage-performing justices of the peace has a different process. In Connecticut, JP appointments are political – even though there is nothing political about the role. Complaints about loss of Commissions or an inability to get appointed abound. When we met with State Representative Jonathan Steinberg, he asked JPus to submit a report that summarizes the problems. Then, in January 2023, JPus met with Rep Steinberg, Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas and her staff. We were thrilled that as a result of our work, Secretary Thomas’ office proposed legislation to establish a […]
Hartford Courant – 11/19/2006
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. […]
Couple Changed Their Mind
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Engaging Legislators
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