Highlight your products and services with civil marriage officiants before, during and after the JPus 2021 virtual conference. The Justice of the Peace Association is celebrating 20 years with a virtual conference. This event will bring together professional marriage officiants and town and city clerks who are eager to learn more about their profession and hone their skills. In addition to Sponsoring, which gets your brand in front of our attendees, we will host opportunities for Exhibitors to connect with attendees in interactive booths. This is a unique opportunity to get in front of a very specific target audience. Join […]

Conference for Civil Marriage Officiants The Justice of the Peace Association is celebrating 20 years with a virtual conference. This event will bring together keynote speakers and workshops in an informative and engaging format. The 2021 Conference is intended to provide a creative environment  where civil officiants can hear about relevant news, re-imagine weddings, learn new skills, and nurture relationships with others through networking opportunities. Request for Proposals JPus members and invited guests may submit a proposal to present a workshop at the Justice of the Peace Association Conference 2021. Include in Proposal ★ Introduction: What will the participants learn […]

The bill would have authorized special marriage officiants in New Hampshire. JPus provided oral and written testimony opposing it on January 16, 2019. Learn more about the bill and why lay officiants are a problem. Read about JPus’ behind-the-scenes activity opposing the bill. JPus provided written and oral testimony to the NH House Judiciary Committee opposing HB295  

March 13, 2021 The Justice of the Peace Association celebrated 20 years with our first virtual conference. This event brought together keynote speakers and workshops in an informative and engaging format. The 2021 Conference provided a creative environment where civil officiants were able to re-imagine weddings, learn new skills, and nurture relationships with others through networking opportunities. Activities included keynote speaker, a legislative panel, interactive workshops, networking breakout rooms and more. It is amazing what a virtual conference can do. It was exciting to bring our members from different states together in a way that was not possible before. Spending […]

Amplifying Voices The Justice of the Peace Association established a partnership with Unchained at Last, a non-profit dedicated to promoting social, policy and legal change to end forced and child marriage in America. Unchained at Last helps women and girls leave or avoid arranged/forced marriages and rebuild their lives. JPus recognizes the ethical dilemma marriage officiants would find themselves in if asked to perform a child marriage. Our members have clearly stated their opposition to child marriages. Child marriage is legal in all of the states that JPus operates in. Only two states (Delaware and New Jersey) have banned it. Unchained at […]

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 […]

In response to many complaints from Connecticut JPs and Town Clerks, in 2022 the Justice of the Peace Association researched how civil marriage officiants are appointed in the state. Given that, the following white paper summarizes our findings and legislative recommendations. Related Links On March 10, 2023, JPus testified to the Connecticut Planning and Development Committee. 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

The Justice of the Peace Association submitted written testimony in support of New Hampshire’s 2023 bill to end child marriage. 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 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. Problems include: 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 work they had to do. One-Day Solemnizers compromise the integrity of the marriage license and are “loose with the law”. Couples who use a One-Day Solemnizer may unwittingly jeopardize the validity of their marriage because important paperwork isn’t […]