Special to El Rrun-Rrun
Saying she is tired of the bickering and jockeying fueled by the competition among local JPs to perform weddings and pocket the $200 fee, Justice of the Peace, Precinct 2, Place 3 Mary Esther Sorola says she will now offer the service for free.Sorola said couples can call her office at 547-7068 located at 835 E Levee St, on the second floor, in Brownsville.
Under Texas law, JPs are allowed to keep the marriage ceremony fee. Over the course of a year, this could amount to $10,000s or $100,000s that the JPs don't have to turn over to the county. She said she will perform the free weddings indefinitely.
"This service is diverting attention from the normal duties of our justices of the peace and instead of charging a fee, we decided to perform the ceremonies for free," she said. "The people already pay taxes to pay for our salaries, and in our office we thought it was the least we could do. If you are getting married, call our office and we'll schedule you for the ceremony free of charge. It'll be one less expense for couple just starting out."