Messiah Baby Name Change: Tennessee Judge Rules Baby Can Keep His Name
On Wednesday, a Tennessee judge reversed a ruling that ordered parents to change their baby's name from Messiah.
Jaleesa Martin and the father of her 8-month-old baby, Jawaan McCullough, went to a child support hearing in Cocke County Chancery Court last month in order to determine what Messiah's last name should be. Both parents wanted their own surname to be that of the baby's.
Child Support Magistrate Lu Ann Ballew ordered that the child be named Martin Deshawn McCullough. The name combined both parents' last name but removed the first name of Messiah.
"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," Judge Ballew's written order said. "Labeling this child 'Messiah' places an undue burden on him that as a human being, he cannot fulfill."
Judge Ballew added that the name would be offensive to the people of Cocke County which has a large Christian population.
After Judge Ballew's ruling, Martin appealed. According to Kristi Davis, Martin's attorney, the mother appealed because the ruling was unconstitutional and because herself and the baby's father had already agreed on the first name of Messiah.
"I was ready to get it over with...I was kind of nervous..." Martin said.
"The magistrate's decision is vacated in part," Honorable Chancellor Telford E. Forgety announced in court Wednesday.
The judge took half-an-hour to reach a decision, WBIR, a CBS affiliate, reports. Ultimately, the magistrate's ruling was overturned because the court's job was to decide the baby's last name, not his first name. It was also ruled that Judge Ballew's decision went against the Establishment Clause of the U.S. constitution.
"This has been an interesting case," Davis said. "It's been widely reported. People have been very interested in it, and I think that's a good thing. We, as Americans, care about our civil liberties."
Now, the baby's official name is Messiah DeShawn McCullogh, McCullough being Messiah's father's name. Judge Forgety said the decision was mutual between Martin and the baby's father.
"Everybody's just happy," Martin said with a smile. "I'm glad it's over with, and I know they are too."