Justice
of the Peace
Newsletter
Vol. 7 Issue 5
September 2009
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In This
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Deep turquoise stoles now available.
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Letter from the Prez Fellow JPs, As I do almost every Sunday, this morning I looked through the Style section of the NY Times, perusing the wedding announcements. I’m not much interested in who got married or where. I’m looking for the “who” that performed the ceremony. I see many ministers (especially those from Universal Life), rabbis and priests. But rarely a JP. Hard for me to believe that not a single wedding performed by a JP was worth coverage in the Times. This brings me to the main point of my letter. I think that we JPs should work to increase the public’s awareness of our role and thereby change our reputation as the officiant of last resort or the cheapest game in town. I’m looking for suggestions to accomplish this. As a minimum, the weddings we perform should be covered in our local papers. We can ask our couples to do this or offer to submit an article for them. If you have other ideas on how to accomplish these goals of increased awareness and status (or disagree with the need), please respond to newsletter@jpus.org Saul Haffner JP Conferences this Fall You are invited to attend one of three morning meetings (breakfast included) this fall. We're reaching out to new (for us) towns and hope that many of you who live in less central locations will attend. Here are the dates and locations:
Saturday, Oct. 24 Griswold CT
Saturday, Oct. 31 Barkhamsted CT Saturday, Nov. 7 Weston CT If you haven't been to a CT conference before, come see for
yourself why so many JPs return year after year. There's always
something new to learn and it's fun to network with colleagues and
share war stories and tips. CT License Law To Change Effective October 1, couples must obtain their marriage license in the town where the marriage is to take place. No longer will they have the option of getting the license in their home town (unless it's one and the same). The reasons for this change -- and its ramifications -- are sure to be a topic at the conferences. Beth Frugale, Registrar of Vital Records, will be on hand in Barkhamsted. Speaking of licenses, here's a reminder: Always ask to see the license before you marry a couple. And always return the completed marriage certificate to the Town Clerk's office yourself! (Of course you know that -- but we hear that some officiants don't!) Marriage Equality Begins in Vermont Tuesday, September 1, marks the first day same sex couples may marry in Vermont. The fourth state to legalize marriage for gay couples, Vermont was the first to do so without judicial prompting. In fact, both houses of the legislature overrode the Governor's veto by huge margins last April. JP Association member Ted Bridges has 3 weddings booked the first weekend. That's good but he doubts that he'll equal the 50 ceremonies he performed in 2000, when VT was the first state to legalize civil unions. Another JP Blog Justice of the Peace Association member Ron Suresha writes about contemporary GLBT issues and life as a JP in a same-sex marriage at http://www.suresha.com. Seeking Dutch-Speaking JP ... for a wedding in November in either Fairfield or New Haven County. Let us know if you qualify. Not featured on findaJP.com? Join the Justice of the Peace Association and get noticed! |