2009 Louisiana interracial marriage incident

In October 2009, Keith Bardwell, a Robert, Louisiana Justice of the Peace, refused to officiate the civil wedding of an interracial couple because of his personal views, in spite of a 1967 ruling by the United States Supreme Court which prohibited restrictions on interracial marriage as unconstitutional.

The story was first publicized by newswriter Don Ellzey of the Daily Star (Hammond, Louisiana). Within a day the story was on the front page of the New Orleans Times-Picayune and was circulated by the Associated Press. Bardwell has asserted that he is not a racist and that he did not prevent the couple from obtaining a license from another justice of the peace. His action was widely criticized, and many public officials in Louisiana called for his resignation. He resigned on November 3, 2009.