Louisiana Secretary of State's Office spokesman Jacques Berry said Justice of the Peace Keith Bardwelll's resignation is effective Tuesday, WDSU says.
Republican Gov Bobby Jindal and Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu had both called for Bardwell to step down.
The Associated Press reports that Bardwell offered only a one sentence statement to Louisiana Secretary of State Jay Dardenne and no explanation of his decision: "I do hereby resign the office of Justice of the Peace for the Eighth Ward of Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, effective November 3, 2009."
The controversy in Hammond, La., erupted after Bardwell refused to issue a marriage license to a white woman and a black man. They were later married by another official.
Bardwell denied that he was a racist and said his concern is with the impact that an interracial marriage has on children. He says he has married white couples and black couples, but refers interracial couples to another JP.
