As a Cuyahoga County juvenile court judge, Peter Sikora has a front row seat to the downside of marriage – or at least procreation. His days are filled with abused and neglected kids, custody battles, and wannabe thugs who shoot each other for reasons scant to nonexistent. His job, one might argue, is a 40-hour-a-week seminar on why procreation should be outlawed.
Yet this year, Sikora has taken a defiantly optimistic stance. He’s decided to perform free marriage ceremonies on Valentine’s Day. His courtroom will be decorated for the occasion. Spokeswoman Pattie Oakar has even promised to make a cake. Couples just have to bring a marriage license and a desire to get hitched…
This article appears in Jan 23-30, 2008.