This is a bit of judicial overreach, don't you think?
Martin from Messiah, saying the religious name was earned by one person and "that one person is Jesus Christ."
Child Support Magistrate Lu Ann Ballew ordered the name change last week, according to WBIR-TV. The boy's parents were in court because they could not agree on the child's last name, but when the judge heard the boy's first name, she ordered it changed, too.
"It could put him at odds with a lot of people and at this point he has had no choice in what his name is," Ballew said.
[. . .]
The boy's mother, Jaleesa Martin, of Newport, said she will appeal. She says Messiah is unique and she liked how it sounded alongside the boy's two siblings — Micah and Mason.
"Everybody believes what they want so I think I should be able to name my child what I want to name him, not someone else," Martin said.
Granted, it could be argued that "Messiah" is a stupid name to give a kid, but what business is it of the judge if the name puts him "at odds with a lot of people"? She should have been around my childhood to see what carrying "Leonard" around was like. And if it's stupid, a lot of people seem to be inclined that way. According the the Social Security Administration's anuual list of popular baby names, cited in the story, "Messiah," was No. 4 among the fastest rising baby names in 2012.
What about all those Hispanics named Jesus? Gonna make 'em change it to Jesse? And, hey, "Lu Ann" sounds like the name of a stripper, not a :child support magistrate." Let's go with Louise, shall we?
