Just picked this up on CNN:
Louisiana Justice who refused interracial marriage resigns.
The article doesn't have much more to it than that, but here's the spokesman for the Louisiana Secretary of State's office:
Keith Bardwell resigned in person at the Louisiana secretary of state's office, said spokesman Jacques Berry. The state Supreme Court will appoint an interim justice of the peace to fill Bardwell's position, Berry said, and a special election will be held next year to fill the position permanently.
I'll try to update this as the stories update.
But, to me, great news - pressure on a public official can sometimes produce good results.
Bardwell, a justice of the peace for Tangipahoa Parish's 8th Ward, refused to issue a marriage license to Beth Humphrey, 30, and her boyfriend Terence McKay, 32, both of Hammond, Louisiana. The two obtained their marriage license from another justice of the peace in the same parish. They filed a federal lawsuit against Bardwell on October 20.
I still think the couple has an excellent case in their planned lawsuit, but I say that as a layman, and not as a lawyer.
Edit: MSNBC's got it now too, and their article might be a bit better.
Resignation Statement:
I do hereby resign the office of Justice of the Peace for the Eighth Ward of Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, effective November 3, 2009.
ETA: Courtesy of Yahoo / AP story:
Gov. Bobby Jindal called Bardwell's resignation "long overdue."
ETA: Thanks for the rec list run, just ended with a flurry of new liveblogs making the list :)