Every year at the Statehouse, numerous pieces of legislation are introduced that don’t receive a lot of public attention. One such bill is H. 122, which would allow individuals to officiate a single civil marriage or civil union. It’s a role typically played by a justice of the peace.
The Justices have other responsibilities as well; they oversee elections and review property tax disputes. But performing wedding and civil union ceremonies is clearly the happier role that they play in the community.
Zeke Church is a Justice of the Peace in Waitsfield, a town in Mad River Valley. He spoke with VPR’s Jane Lindholm about their wedding and civil union duties.