SALEM, Ore. — In a small strip mall off Highway 99E in Salem, right next to Jesus Our Jubilee Church, sits the Marion County Justice Court. Every weekday morning, Justice of the Peace Justin Kidd dons his judicial robe to preside over the day's court proceedings; small claims, landlord-tenant claims, and minor violations. It's the People's Court.
"We are a state court funded by the county. We take little cases," Kidd explained. "A lot of traffic cases, a lot of speeding, red light, and fish and game cases."
But one day a year, it's less about court and more about courtship, and the only pledges being made are vows of love.
"Do you, Matthew, take Regina to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and honor for the rest of your life?" Kidd asked on Wednesday, speaking to a couple inside the courthouse.
"I do," Matthew answered in a deep, confident voice.
Matthew and Regina were just one of a dozen couples that tied the knot at the court on Wednesday, prompting the state of Oregon to temporarily rename Marion County to "Marryin' County."
"It's Valentine's Day. We have set aside the whole day to celebrate love and marriage and the state recognizing the equal dignity of marriage," Kidd said.
It's the second year in a row that Kidd has turned the Halls of Justice into what is billed as a "Day of Love," officiating marriages all day long.
"Being a judge is emotionally difficult sometimes," he said. "Most days when people are in court it is not their very best day. In fact, it might be the worst day of their life, really. So, it's wonderful to have a day dedicated to love and celebration of all the good things."
Day of Love
From the witness box to the judge's dais, the courthouse brimmed with signs of love. Volunteer Meda Duggan filled the room with handmade balloon art of turtle doves, hearts, and butterflies.
"There's nothing more rejuvenating than to watch people get married," Duggan said.
The court offered loaner flowers, bouquets, and boutonnières for couples to borrow. The Wedding March played on YouTube as the bride processed in. Kidd even had rings he bought from Amazon to offer to couples who may not have brought rings or couldn't afford them.
"A lot of people who get married are people of modest means and don't bring rings. They cost me a dollar apiece, but they bring so much joy. Even though it's a dollar, it's special and they will always know that," he said.
Christina Young and Tim Newman of North Salem were among the couples getting married on Wednesday. They grew up together in Northern California, and first met in the third grade.
"By the time we were in the sixth grade we did make an attempt at going steady," Tim said.
"That lasted one day," Christina laughed.
After marrying others and divorcing, Christina and Tim reconnected. They are both close to 60 years old and have been together for 18 years, but decided it was time to take the next step.
"Because I am so proud of her," Tim said. "All's I want to do is show her off, because she is such a beautiful person. To say this is my wife, Christina."
Valentine's Day seemed like the perfect day, with the perfect date to take the plunge.
Kidd also speaks Spanish and offers weddings to Spanish-speaking couples. Rolando Morelos Sanchez and Olinda Marilin Portillo Mazariegos of Hillsboro exchanged vows and declared that they would be happy for the rest of their lives.
"About a quarter of the marriages we do all year are in Spanish. People come from Bend to Eugene to the state line to Lincoln City, because there aren't a lot of judges who speak Spanish," Kidd said.
Access to marriage
Weddings are Kidd's favorite part of the job, and one that resonates with him on a personal level.
"My husband and I have been together 20 years, and for the first ten years of our relationship, the courtroom door was barred to us," he said.
At their Salem home, Kidd and his husband, Rob Owen, looked through a photo album and reflected on the spiritual church wedding they had in 2010 in Pittsburgh.
"Look, we have matching blue vests," Owen said. "Sadly, they don't fit anymore."
"It was a good day," Kidd said.
Same-sex marriage was still illegal at the time in Pennsylvania, so Kidd and Owen moved to Oregon, where domestic partnerships were legal. But it still wasn't enough.
"I called it marriage with an asterisk. Ruth Bader Ginsburg called it 'skim-milk marriage.' It looks like marriage, but it's not the fullness everybody else was entitled to," Kidd said.
When same-sex marriage was legalized in Oregon in 2014, Kidd and Owen raced down to the Marion County Justice of the Peace to make their vows in court.
"The door was open to us. I am a little emotional," Kidd said as he choked up. "The door was open to us in a way it wasn't before. We got to be just like everybody else."
"It felt like a burden had been lifted. The clouds had parted. We were on the same footing as everybody else," Owen said.
That's what Kidd says he wants for everyone in his courtroom— to feel respected.
"To get married and recognized by the state made me feel like I belong. So it's really important to me that the courts be open, accessible and available to everybody, including for people who couldn't marry before," he said.
With the scales of justice on the wall behind him on Wednesday, Kidd pronounced 12 couples husband and wife.
Christina Young decided to take her new husband, Tim's last name.
"Finally, Oh, I love you so much, Mrs. Newman. After 18 years you made an honest man out of me," Newman said as the couple left the courtroom.
On this day of love, in "Marryin' County, Oregon, in a courtroom of justice, both justice and love prevail.