Can We Have A Conscience Clauses for JPs Too?: Justice of the Peace Denies Interracial Couple Marriage License.

So if pharmacists can deny birth control and doctors can deny tubal-ligations and nurses can deny participating in abortions, can judges deny marriage licenses to inter-racial couples?

Why not if that's what his conscience says? From TalkingPointsMemo, a story of a judge in Louisiana who denied an interracial couple a marriage license. For the sake of the children, of course:

"I do ceremonies for black couples right here in my house," Bardwell said. "My main concern is for the children."

Bardwell said he has discussed the topic with blacks and whites, along with witnessing some interracial marriages. He came to the conclusion that most of black society does not readily accept offspring of such relationships, and neither does white society, he said.

"I don't do interracial marriages because I don't want to put children in a situation they didn't bring on themselves," Bardwell said. "In my heart, I feel the children will later suffer."

Suffer just like our President?

It was back in 1963 that the Supreme Court ruled that the government "cannot tell people who they can and cannot marry." (Naturally, unless they are of the same sex, of course.)

Sounds like judicial officer activism to me!

UPDATE: Some other comments from around the web: MirrorofJustice, PlaygroundPolitics