"Tenn. judge says child can’t be ‘Messiah’" Associated Press, August 12, 2013
NEWPORT, Tenn. — A judge in Tennessee changed a 7-month-old boy’s name to 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.
It was the first time she ordered a first name change, the judge said.
Messiah was No. 4 among the fastest-rising baby names in 2012, according to the Social Security Administration’s annual list of popular baby names.
Related: Messiah Seen in Pittsfield
The judge in eastern Tennessee said the baby was to be named Martin DeShawn McCullough, which includes both parents’ last names.
The boy’s mother, Jaleesa Martin of Newport, said she will appeal. She said 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.
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Who does this judge think she is, God?
