# "By the power vested in me" - Where? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 2, 2026, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/by-the-power-vested-in-me-where/1032089 "2026-08-02T02:50:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2026, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/by-the-power-vested-in-me-where/1032089/61 "2026-08-03T22:36:53Z")
> [@Ancient\_Nerd](#): > > A couple I know went the Justice of the Peace Route. It was a normal day in court. The Judge made sure there were witnesses. The people available were there for various legal issues That’s what I would expect. As I said, I doubt the veracity of the narrative I quoted. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2026, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/by-the-power-vested-in-me-where/1032089/62 "2026-08-03T23:52:51Z")
I saw a sign once: “Marriages performed by the captain of this vessel are only valid for the duration of the voyage.” ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2026, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/by-the-power-vested-in-me-where/1032089/63 "2026-08-04T00:27:22Z")
IOW, what happens on the [Ship Name] stays on the [Ship Name]! 🤪 ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2026, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/by-the-power-vested-in-me-where/1032089/64 "2026-08-29T11:50:42Z")
In most states, marriage laws are based on residency, not presence. So a Florida marriage can be performed anywhere so long as the celebrants are both Florida residents who have been issued a marriage license by the clerk of courts of a county in Florida. (The license is valid for 60 days.) That doesn’t mean the marriage has been solemnized under the laws of the jurisdiction where it occurs, but it’s a valid Florida marriage. The officiant, celebrants and two witnesses sign the license and mail it back to the county. Officiant adds the date and location, and the authorizing religious organization or state office. Bingo bango, marriage accomplished. Las Vegas became famous for out of state marriages simply because Nevada will issue a marriage license to anyone, resident or not. (And for a while because it also offered no fault divorce to non residents back when other states required “proof” that the marriage was broken.) ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2026, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/by-the-power-vested-in-me-where/1032089/65 "2026-08-29T14:35:10Z")
I was once on a public bus in Las Vegas (I"m European, we take public transport everywhere), and the driver announced the upcoming stop as “Clark County Courthouse. Marriage licenses and divorces all conveniently located in one building.” ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2026, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/by-the-power-vested-in-me-where/1032089/66 "2026-08-29T15:10:26Z")
Which calls to mind the question: “What is the shortest marriage in their records?” I know I don’t know, but I bet a weekend is about the lower limit. I lived there roughly 1985-1995. The quickie no questions asked marriage biz was still going strong. The semi-quickie few questions asked divorce biz had largely wound down when I left since most (not all) states had by then rescinded their draconian anti-divorce statutes. But I vaguely recall at least a couple of celebrity / fatcat divorces there that were an on-going newsworthy saga. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2026, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/by-the-power-vested-in-me-where/1032089/67 "2026-08-29T17:49:01Z")
Britney Spears’ Las Vegas marriage to Jason Alexander (not the Seinfeld actor) in 2004 lasted 55 hours, but it ended in annulment, not divorce. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2026, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/by-the-power-vested-in-me-where/1032089/68 "2026-08-29T18:14:04Z")
> [@Schnitte](#): > > Clark County Courthouse. Marriage licenses and divorces all conveniently located in one building.” Same as every courthouse in the US. A former friend of mine got married to a girlfriend after just a few months of dating during a drunken Las Vegas trip. They got it annulled after a couple of months when she finally realized what a scumbag he was. He stuck her with an expensive lease and two car payments. ---
**Author:** ![billy-jack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@billy-jack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billy-jack)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2026, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/by-the-power-vested-in-me-where/1032089/69 "2026-08-29T19:26:43Z")
The shortest marriage I’m aware of lasted only a couple of hours. When they left the reception, they were driving at a very high rate of speed and crashed, killing them both. That was back in the 1960s. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2026, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/by-the-power-vested-in-me-where/1032089/70 "2026-08-30T08:27:39Z")
Minnesota doesn’t care where you live, just where you are when the license is signed. I just went through all of this: The officiant can be any person over the age of 18, who applies for an officiant’s license and provides an ID (or copy of one for internet application). The residency of the officiant doesn’t matter. They need to apply to be an officiant with any one of the Minnesota counties, but after being approved they can oversee a wedding in any country in Minnesota. The officiant gets approved to offiate. The couple applies for a license (ID is required) The officiant, couple and 2 witnesses sign the license provided by the country. (doesn’t have to match the country where the officiant is registered. No one involved has to live there. The ceremony must take place in that country.) The license is mailed to the country (in the included pre-addressed envelope) and about a week later the marriage certificate arrives in the mail. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2026, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/by-the-power-vested-in-me-where/1032089/71 "2026-08-30T10:44:36Z")
I’m from a country with purely civil weddings administered by a government officer; you can have a church wedding, but that’s in the eyes of the church only, so in order to be married under secular law you will need the civil ceremony. As such, I used to be really confused by the concept of a marriage license - why would the law require you to have a license to get married? Until I realised: The marriage license is so that a wedding administered by a private party will be recognised by the government. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2026, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/by-the-power-vested-in-me-where/1032089/72 "2026-08-30T15:45:54Z")
Rhode Island is also a state where residency doesn’t matter. My now wife and I threw a surprise wedding at a family reunion. All we had to do was go to the clerk’s office in the town we were staying in and apply for a license. No residency, no waiting, no bloodwork. $24 fee. The only catch was that the license wasn’t valid in other towns in the state, not that it made any difference to us. We cold called a judge and got him to officiate. We invited his wife in because she had never had a chance to watch a ceremony. All done within 48 hours. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2026, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/by-the-power-vested-in-me-where/1032089/73 "2026-08-30T18:03:43Z")
New Jersey also. The only difference between residents and non-residents is that non- residents need to get the license from the county where the ceremony is performed and NJ residents can get a license in any county. The county border ran right through my daughter’s venue so as a non-resident ,she had to find out which county to get the license from.Also, New York licenses are only valid in NY state. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2026, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/by-the-power-vested-in-me-where/1032089/74 "2026-08-30T18:16:01Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Same as every courthouse in the US. Maybe. In my state, you get the license at the city/town/county clerk’s office which are not always in a courthouse. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2026, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/by-the-power-vested-in-me-where/1032089/75 "2026-08-30T18:48:13Z")
Good point but the marriages license place and the divorce filing place are in the smae building. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/by-the-power-vested-in-me-where/1032089.md?page=3)