HAMMOND, La. -- The Louisiana Supreme Court has appointed a neighboring justice of the peace to fill the vacancy of Keith Bardwell who resigned on Nov. 3.
Bardwell resigned after receiving national attention for refusing to perform a marriage ceremony for an interracial couple.
On Monday, court spokeswoman Valerie Willard said in a news release that Debbie Brunett, the justice of the peace for Ward 5 in Tangipahoa Parish, will temporarily fulfill the duties of Bardwell's old seat.
In past interviews, Bardwell has said he has married white couples and black couples but he did not marry interracial couples over concerns about the children.
This practice caught national attention when Bardwell would not sign a marriage license for an interracial Hammond couple on Oct. 6.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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