By Juan Montoya
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Now that the tax office, county clerk, the constable/bailiffs' office, the IT guys, and the three Brownsville justices of the peace have moved to the new county building on Levee Street, ID cards and passes allowing them to enter their old offices on Harrison Street have been lifted to prevent access to the old building.
Bailiffs and attorneys still have access to the buildings as do personnel of the courts and jurists who preside over their courts. But no one is allowed to enter the building or access its courtrooms on weekends or after hours.
So it came as a cruel surprise when JP 2-1 Linda Salazar – Da Wedding Judge averaging 600 weddings a year at $250+ a pop – showed up last Thursday evening after the doors had closed at the Harrison Street building with a large wedding party and wanted to use the jury selection room on the first floor to perform the ceremony. Apparently, she had been doing this unbeknownst to anyone.
When courthouse security found out that she had been using her old pass to access the building after hours to perform weddings, her pass was "unceremoniously" lifted to prevent her from accessing the building without authority. She and her party were then politely turned away and shown the door.
The continued soliciting of weddings by this JP is beginning to get county elected officials to seek some sort of remedy to stop her apparent (and continued) efforts to have county staff steer weddings her way. It wasn't long ago that she was caught on tape going up one floor on the Levee building from her office on the second floor and soliciting couples to allow her to perform their wedding (for a slight fee, of course).
![Image result for linda salazar, jp]()
Before that, she had taken to placing a large sign directing people getting off the elevator there to her office.
That solicitation event took place Dec. 27 at about 11: 45 and was taped without sound because the county is prevented from recording conversations to protect people's privacy.
Is she recorded on the surveillance tape appearing at the old county building on Harrison Street after hours with her wedding party? We'll see.
Now that the tax office, county clerk, the constable/bailiffs' office, the IT guys, and the three Brownsville justices of the peace have moved to the new county building on Levee Street, ID cards and passes allowing them to enter their old offices on Harrison Street have been lifted to prevent access to the old building.Bailiffs and attorneys still have access to the buildings as do personnel of the courts and jurists who preside over their courts. But no one is allowed to enter the building or access its courtrooms on weekends or after hours.
So it came as a cruel surprise when JP 2-1 Linda Salazar – Da Wedding Judge averaging 600 weddings a year at $250+ a pop – showed up last Thursday evening after the doors had closed at the Harrison Street building with a large wedding party and wanted to use the jury selection room on the first floor to perform the ceremony. Apparently, she had been doing this unbeknownst to anyone.
When courthouse security found out that she had been using her old pass to access the building after hours to perform weddings, her pass was "unceremoniously" lifted to prevent her from accessing the building without authority. She and her party were then politely turned away and shown the door.
The continued soliciting of weddings by this JP is beginning to get county elected officials to seek some sort of remedy to stop her apparent (and continued) efforts to have county staff steer weddings her way. It wasn't long ago that she was caught on tape going up one floor on the Levee building from her office on the second floor and soliciting couples to allow her to perform their wedding (for a slight fee, of course).
Before that, she had taken to placing a large sign directing people getting off the elevator there to her office.
That solicitation event took place Dec. 27 at about 11: 45 and was taped without sound because the county is prevented from recording conversations to protect people's privacy.
Is she recorded on the surveillance tape appearing at the old county building on Harrison Street after hours with her wedding party? We'll see.