A judge has taken it upon herself to tell Tennessee mom Jaleesa Martin and baby’s father that the name they chose for their son just won’t do.
According to the local TV station WBIR, Martin and Messiah’s father were in court because they could not decide on the baby’s surname. Child support magistrate Lu Ann Ballew responded by ruling that the boy change his name from Messiah DeShawn Martin to Martin DeShawn McCullough because, as she explains it, “the word Messiah is a title and it’s a title that has only been earned by one person and that one person is Jesus Christ.”
Nevermind that Messiah was the fourth most popular name of 2012, according to the U.S. Social Security Administration. Ballew said she made the change to protect the boy from future taunting. “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,” she said.
Jaleesa Martin plans to appeal the decision. “I didn’t think a judge could make me change my baby’s name because of her religious beliefs,” she told the station.
Are you filing this one in the ridiculous or righteous bin? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
[poll id=355126]