By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Judge: Ky. County Must Issue Marriage Licenses to All Couples
Judge: Ky. County Must Issue Marriage Licenses to All Couples
After an antigay clerk dug in her heels, a U.S. district judge issued a preliminary injunction ordering Rowan County, Ky., to stop denying marriage licenses to couples.
UPDATE: Another gay couple was turned away in violation of the federal order. Details here.
After the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in June, Rowan County, Ky., Clerk Kim Davis refused to abide. She would not issue licenses to same-sex couples -- or opposite-sex couples.
Davis's refusal complicated things for anyone seeking a marriage license in the tiny, northern Kentucky county. So four couples -- two gay, two straight -- took Davis to court, and now they've won.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge David Bunning ruled that Davis's religious beliefs do not exempt her from performing her duties as a government official; she will have to provide marriage licenses.
In his ruling, Bunning wrote that Davis "is refusing to recognize the legal force of U.S. Supreme Court jurisprudence in performing her duties" and her "religious convictions cannot excuse her from performing the duties that she took an oath to perform as Rowan County Clerk." Read Bunning's full ruling here.
