This Halloween, the Marion County Justice Court has announced that it will celebrate the holiday by “witching you a happy ever after” and officiating marriages all day on Oct. 31.
Justice of the Peace Justin Kidd will wear a costume instead of his usual judicial robes and plans to officiate 10 marriages this year in the courthouse.
“This Halloween we are canceling court and dedicating a whole day to love and spookieness and marriages and all the fun stuff altogether,” Kidd said. “And, we are going to have treats and a good time.”
Kidd was inspired to begin this Halloween tradition in Marion County when he was a lawyer and a judge set a trial for Halloween. This caused Kidd to vow that when he became a judge, he would never set a trial on Halloween and instead would turn it into a day of celebration in the courtroom.
“We are going to dedicate the day to being accessible, being open to the community and showing that courts are here for everybody, and we’re here for not just the terrible things but also the good things too,” Kidd said.