Key Takeaways
- US Supreme Court rejects Kim Davis appeal seeking to overturn same-sex marriage rights
- Former Kentucky clerk ordered to pay $360,000 in damages for denying marriage licenses
- Court leaves 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges ruling intact without comment
The US Supreme Court has firmly rejected former Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis’s attempt to overturn same-sex marriage rights, requiring her to pay $360,000 in damages for denying marriage licenses to gay couples. The justices declined to reconsider their landmark 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.
Court’s Silent Rejection
Without comment, the Supreme Court left intact a jury finding against Davis, who gained national attention by halting all marriage licenses in Rowan County following the Obergefell ruling. The appeal was considered a longshot but drew significant attention due to the court’s conservative shift since the original 5-4 decision.
Three members of the 2015 majority are no longer on the court, with two replaced by more conservative Donald Trump appointees. Concerns about Obergefell’s future intensified in 2022 when the court overturned Roe v. Wade, with Justice Clarence Thomas suggesting the court should reconsider the same-sex marriage precedent.
Victory for Same-Sex Couple
The rejection marks a victory for David Ermold and David Moore, whom Davis turned away three times when they tried to obtain a marriage license after the Obergefell ruling. The couple sued Davis in federal court for violating their constitutional rights.
A jury awarded them $50,000 each in damages, with a judge adding $260,000 in fees and expenses.
Davis’s Arguments and Response
Davis contended that the Constitution “makes no reference to same-sex marriage and no such right is implicitly recognized by any constitutional provision.” She pressed arguments about religious rights and sovereign immunity while challenging the Obergefell ruling itself.
Ermold and Moore urged the court to reject the appeal, noting that Obergefell has become part of the nation’s fabric with almost 800,000 married same-sex couples in the US. “Those families were built around the right this court recognized,” they argued, calling Davis’s case a “poor vehicle” for reconsidering the issue.
Davis spent five days in jail in 2015 for contempt of court and lost her reelection bid in 2018.
