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Kim Davis

March 25, 2023

For other people named Kim Davis, see Kim Davis (disambiguation).

Kimberly Jean Davis (née Bailey; born September 17, 1965) is a former county clerk for Rowan County, Kentucky, who gained international attention in August 2015 when she defied a U.S. federal court order to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Kim Davis
Clerk of Rowan County, Kentucky
In office
January 5, 2015 – January 7, 2019
Preceded byJean W. Bailey
Succeeded byElwood Caudill Jr.
Personal details
Born
Kimberly Jean Bailey

(1965-09-17) September 17, 1965 (age 57)
Jackson, Kentucky, U.S.
Political party
Democratic (1983–2015)
SpouseJoe Davis
Children4
Known forRefusal to comply with a federal court order directing her to issue marriage licenses following Obergefell v. Hodges

Davis was elected Rowan County Clerk in 2014. The following year, the Supreme Court decided Obergefell v. Hodges, and all county clerks in Kentucky were ordered to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Citing personal religious objections to same-sex marriage, Davis began denying marriage licenses to all couples to avoid issuing them to same-sex couples.[2][3] A lawsuit, Miller v. Davis, was filed, and Davis was ordered by the U.S. District Court to start issuing marriage licenses. She appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, but the application to appeal was denied. Davis continued to defy the court order by refusing to issue marriage licenses "under God's authority";[2] she was ultimately jailed for contempt of court.[4] Davis was released after five days in jail under the condition that she not interfere with the efforts of her deputy clerks, who had begun issuing marriage licenses to all couples in her absence. Davis then modified the Kentucky marriage licenses used in her office so that they no longer mentioned her name.

Davis's actions drew strong and mixed reactions from prominent politicians, legal experts, and religious leaders. Attorney and author Roberta A. Kaplan described Davis as "the clearest example of someone who wants to use a religious liberty argument to discriminate",[5] while law professor Eugene Volokh maintained that an employer must try to accommodate religious employees' beliefs. Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee said that Davis's imprisonment was part of the "criminalization of Christianity",[6] while Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin compared Davis's refusal to obey the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to Alabama Governor George Wallace's "Stand in the Schoolhouse Door" in 1963. A few weeks after her release from jail, Davis met with Pope Francis in Washington, D.C. She was defeated by Democratic challenger Elwood Caudill Jr. in the November 6, 2018, election and vacated the office on January 7, 2019.

Career

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The county seat of Rowan County, Kentucky is Morehead, Kentucky.

Chief deputy clerk: 1991–2015

Kim Davis was born on September 17, 1965,[7] in Jackson, Kentucky.[8] By 1991, she was serving as chief deputy clerk of Rowan County, Kentucky, reporting to her mother, Rowan County Clerk Jean W. Bailey.[9] Davis's 2011 compensation was $51,812 (equivalent to $62,412 in 2021) in wages with an additional $11,301 (equivalent to $13,613 in 2021) in overtime and other compensation.[9] She earned more than other chief deputies in the county,[a] and some county employees and residents complained to the county's governing body, the Fiscal Court, that the clerk's staff's wages were too high, with total compensation for five employees being about $198,000. The Fiscal Court then voted to cut the 2012 budget for wages from $300,000 to $200,000.[9]

County clerk: 2015–2019

After her mother announced she would not run for re-election in 2014, Davis filed as a Democratic candidate for county clerk.[10] At a candidates' forum, Davis stated she felt she was best qualified for the position because of her 26 years of experience in the clerk's office.[11]

Davis narrowly won the Democratic primary election,[10] defeating Elwood Caudill Jr., a deputy clerk in the Rowan County property valuation administrator's office, by 23 votes and advancing to the general election against Republican John Cox.[12][13] Davis won the election, with Cox subsequently alleging that nepotism was to blame for his loss.[14] After winning the race, Davis told The Morehead News, "My words can never express the appreciation but I promise to each and every one that I will be the very best working clerk that I can be and will be a good steward of their tax dollars and follow the statutes of this office to the letter."[15][13][16]

Davis took the oath of office as the county clerk of Rowan County on January 5, 2015, beginning a four-year term slated to end on January 7, 2019.[17] As clerk in 2015, Davis received an annual salary of $80,000 (equivalent to $91,456 in 2021).[18][19]

Same-sex marriage license controversy

Background

See also: Obergefell v. Hodges

On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the landmark case of Obergefell v. Hodges, holding that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.[20][21] Fourteen counties in three Southern states continued to deny marriage licenses for same-sex marriage. The Alabama Supreme Court allowed the probate judges of ten counties in Alabama to deny such marriage licenses, the clerk of one Texas county chose to resign rather than issue such licenses, and the clerks of two counties in Kentucky were not issuing licenses due to paperwork delays.[22][23][24] Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear ordered all Kentucky county clerks to begin issuing same-sex marriage licenses immediately.[25][26]

Davis's reaction to same-sex marriage ruling

 
Davis asks for the video camera to be turned off as she refuses David Ermold and David Moore (pictured) a marriage license. Release of the video ignited national controversy.[27]

Davis contacted Beshear, asking for an executive order to protect clerks who have moral objections against personally issuing such marriage licenses,[26] as Kentucky law requires county clerks to issue marriage licenses in their names.[28] She began turning away gay couples from her county office who were seeking marriage licenses. David Ermold and David Moore, a same-sex couple from Morehead, Kentucky and alumni of Morehead State University, released video footage on July 7, 2015 of Davis refusing to issue them a marriage license and requesting that they turn off their camera.[29][30] The video went viral overnight.[31]

The Family Foundation of Kentucky, a local political organization, held a protest rally against the ruling at the State Capitol in Frankfort on August 22, 2015, attended by several thousand people.[32] The clerks of the two other Kentucky counties declined to speak to the rally crowd, but Davis spoke briefly, saying, "I need your prayers ... to continue to stand firm in what we believe."[33] At a competing event several blocks away organized by the Fairness Campaign of Louisville, attendees celebrated the Supreme Court's decision and called upon government officials to uphold the law.[32]

Rather than issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, Davis began denying marriage licenses to all couples.[22][24][26]

Lawsuits against Davis

Main article: Miller v. Davis

Six couples who were denied marriage licenses from Davis sued her in her official capacity as county clerk. Four couples were represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Kentucky and two couples each had separate legal representation.[22][34][35] The four couples represented by the ACLU, two same-sex couples and two opposite-sex couples, filed the first lawsuit against Davis (Miller v. Davis) on July 2, 2015.[36][37][38] On July 10, 2015, David Ermold and David Moore (who had shot the viral video) next filed suit against Davis, represented by Joseph Buckles and Thomas Szczygielski (Ermold v. Davis);[39][40][41] James Yates and William Smith Jr., represented by Rene Heinrich of the Heinrich Firm PLLC and Kash Stilz of Roush & Stilz PSC, filed a suit against Davis on August 25, 2015 (Yates v. Davis).[42][43][44]

Federal district judge David L. Bunning of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, the judge assigned to the cases, held hearings with Davis in Ashland, at which she was the only witness. Davis argued tearfully that issuing licenses under her name violated her beliefs, citing her religious rights under the First Amendment: "It wasn't just a spur-of-the-moment decision", she said. "It was thought out, and I sought God on it."[26] Davis had already decided against resigning from her post, as doing so, she said, would only leave the matter to her deputies: "If I resign, I solve nothing. It helps nobody."[26] Governor Beshear stated that he would not call a special session of the General Assembly to address Davis's concerns, while other state legislators believed that such a session could accommodate Davis with possible new legislation.[45] Davis's attorneys, from the Maitland, Florida-based law firm Liberty Counsel,[46][b] stated that the plaintiffs were free to drive to other counties to obtain their same-sex marriage licenses, with one adding, "This case is not about these plaintiffs' desires to get married, the case is about [their] desire to force Kim Davis to approve and authorize their marriage in violation of her constitutionally protected religious beliefs."[26] Davis and her attorneys then sued Governor Beshear for ordering her to violate her religious beliefs instead of trying to accommodate them, arguing that Beshear, not Davis, should be held accountable for any legal damages from the ACLU lawsuit.[48][49]

On August 12, Bunning issued a temporary stay barring Davis from "applying her 'no marriage licenses' policy to future marriage license requests".[22][50] Before the stay expired, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit refused to extend that ruling for an appeal. "It cannot be defensibly argued that the holder of the Rowan County clerk's office ... may decline to act in conformity with the United States Constitution", the three-judge panel wrote unanimously in their refusal, continuing, "There is thus little or no likelihood that the clerk in her official capacity will prevail on appeal."[50]

Appeal

Main article: Miller v. Davis § Appeal

Liberty Counsel and Davis filed an emergency application to appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court. On August 31, 2015, in a one-line order, the Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal, preventing Davis from legally continuing to deny marriage licenses.[50][51] In response to the U.S. Supreme Court's refusal to grant her stay request, Davis stated:

I never imagined a day like this would come, where I would be asked to violate a central teaching of Scripture and of Jesus Himself regarding marriage. To issue a marriage license which conflicts with God's definition of marriage, with my name affixed to the certificate, would violate my conscience.[52][53][54]

Davis continued to defy Bunning's court order after the Supreme Court's refusal.[55][56] The following morning, several couples sought to obtain marriage licenses, but Davis turned them away, saying she was acting "under God's authority".[2][3] Some in the media questioned whether Davis, having been married four times and only recently converted, was acting hypocritically in the application of her beliefs.[57][58][59][60]

Contempt of court and jailing

Main article: Miller v. Davis § Contempt of court

Judge Bunning ordered Davis and her six deputy clerks to appear before him on September 3 after the six couples sought to have her held in contempt of court.[28][61] Bunning ruled in the plaintiffs' favor and held Davis in contempt.[62][63] The ACLU asked the court to fine Davis,[64] but Bunning ordered her remanded in custody after the hearing. The judge said Davis would remain there until she complied with the court's order to issue marriage licenses.[62][63] Bunning then spoke with each of the deputy clerks who reported to Davis. Only her son, Nathan Davis, told the judge he refused to comply with the court's order to start issuing marriage licenses; Bunning declined to hold him in contempt.[65][66] After the hearing, U.S. Marshals transported Davis to the Carter County Detention Center in Grayson.[67]

On Friday, September 4, the first day her office was open during her incarceration, Davis's deputy clerks began issuing marriage licenses to all couples.[8] James Yates and William Smith Jr. (independently suing Davis) were the first couple in Rowan County to receive a marriage license since Obergefell.[68] They were soon followed by other couples who were plaintiffs against Davis.[8][69]

Through her Liberty Counsel attorneys, Davis filed an appeal of the order holding her in contempt of court, asking that she be released immediately from jail and that her name be removed from marriage licenses, allowing her deputies to issue them.[8][70] Separately, Davis asked Governor Beshear to free her. The governor's office said that the conflict was a "matter between her and the courts";[71] Beshear added that he lacked the legal authority to either remove Davis from office or to relieve Davis of her statutory duties.[72] Rowan County Democratic Judge-Executive Walter Blevins[73] stated that he did not believe he would need to appoint a replacement for Davis, and that he believed the Attorney General of Kentucky and "the General Assembly will pass something where marriage licenses don't have anyone's name on them".[74]

Release and return to work

Main article: Miller v. Davis § Release from custody

Five days later, on Tuesday, September 8, Bunning ordered Davis released from jail.[75][76][77] The order stated: "Defendant Davis shall not interfere in any way, directly or indirectly, with the efforts of her deputy clerks to issue marriage licenses to all legally eligible couples. If Defendant Davis should interfere in any way with their issuance, that will be considered a violation of this order and appropriate sanctions will be considered."[78]

Bunning's order also stated that Davis's deputy clerks must continue to comply with his earlier order to issue marriage licenses and to submit status reports to him every fourteen days confirming their compliance.[76][77][78] The deputy clerks released statements pledging to continue issuing licenses after Davis's release and to ignore any order from her to do otherwise, complying with the federal judge's order.[79][80] Licenses issued since Davis's refusal state that they are authorized by "the office of the Rowan County Clerk" but no longer bear her name.[81][82] Davis's supporters, gathered at the Rowan County Courthouse since her first day in custody, said that her deputies were unlawfully issuing licenses and should resign or be fired.[83][84][c]

Davis returned to work a week later, on September 14, 2015. She said that, while she would not interfere with any deputy clerk who issues marriage licenses, she would not personally issue or authorize any of the forms.[87] She created several altered versions of the Kentucky marriage license form and instructed her deputy clerks to use them, which had her name and reference to the clerk's office removed.[88] The ACLU sued Davis separately for these form alterations, which they found to be of questionable legality.[88][d] Governor Steve Beshear was asked by Bunning to brief the court on the validity of the licenses. Governor Beshear acknowledged that Kentucky would recognize the licenses being issued, but he could not verify the legality of the licenses issued or the means by which the marriage licenses were altered.[88][89] Bunning ultimately denied the ACLU's separate suit, stating the altered forms were likely legal and that Davis was now abiding by the court's order.[90]

While Davis remained inside her personal office, same-sex couples successfully walked out of the Rowan County clerk's office with their marriage licenses.[91][92] One of the applicants said, "My license is valid, and it's valid because of the court order that's in effect ... It doesn't have to have her signature."[93]

Reactions to controversy

Government officials are free to disagree with the law, but not disobey it.

—Kerry B. Harvey, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky[94][95][96]

Davis gained international attention after her refusal to issue marriage licenses and the ensuing controversy her actions caused.[97][98][99][100][101][102] Many legal experts asserted that Davis had no standing under the law to refuse to issue the licenses. Columbia Law School professor Katherine Franke said, "Kim Davis has all sorts of religious liberty rights secured under the First Amendment and under other laws, but they are not at stake in this case. All she's asked to do with couples that come before her is certify that they've met the state requirements for marriage, so her religious opposition to same-sex marriage is absolutely irrelevant."[103] Professor Stephen Vladeck of American University's Washington College of Law said that Davis "waived any right to have an objection to issuing same-sex marriage licenses when she ran for the job".[95] Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin and others compared Davis's refusal to follow orders of the U.S. Supreme Court to Alabama Governor George Wallace's futile "Stand in the Schoolhouse Door" protest of desegregation in 1963.[65][104][105] The Human Rights Campaign, a national LGBT civil rights group, said, "Ms. Davis has the fundamental right to believe what she likes ... but as a public servant, she does not have the right to pick and choose which laws she will follow or which services she will provide."[50] Attorney and author Roberta A. Kaplan, who argued for the plaintiffs in United States v. Windsor, wrote that "Kim Davis is the clearest example of someone who wants to use a religious liberty argument to discriminate, yet she swore an oath to uphold the Constitution. It is laughable that she can then decide which laws to enforce, which is why every decision in her case has gone against her."[5]

Opposition to the federal ruling came from political columnists William McGurn of The Wall Street Journal and Ray Nothstine of The Christian Post.[106][107] Law professor Eugene Volokh suggested that the Kentucky's state religious freedom restoration act might compel the state to accommodate Davis's religious beliefs and argued that state courts have the authority to order the removal of Davis's name from marriage licenses.[108] Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers also came to Davis's defense; he stated, in an amicus brief filed in federal court, that the "Supreme Court ruling has completely obliterated the definition of marriage".[109] Liberty Counsel, the law firm defending Davis, stated, "Kim Davis is being treated as a criminal because she cannot violate her conscience",[110] stating also that she refused to accept a proposed compromise where she would no longer be found in contempt if she agreed not to interfere with her deputies issuing licenses to same-sex couples.[63]

Reactions against Davis also came from the White House, from Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear, and from candidates in the race for the 2016 presidential election. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said, "No public official is above the rule of law. Certainly not the president of the United States, but neither is the Rowan County clerk."[111] Governor Beshear said the judge's decision "speaks for itself",[112][113][114] while his attorneys called the legal arguments in her suit against him "absurd".[115] Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said, "Officials should be held to their duty to uphold the law – end of story."[116][117] Several Republican presidential candidates also called on Davis to comply with court orders. Donald Trump said, "the decision's been made, and that is the law of the land."[118][119] Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida, said Davis "is sworn to uphold the law", but also suggested that some sort of accommodation be made for her.[117] Republican presidential candidates Carly Fiorina and Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina both suggested that Davis should comply with the court order or resign.[120]

Several national Republican politicians supported Davis. Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, said that the Kim Davis affair was part of a "criminalization of Christianity" and organized a rally for Davis outside the jail where she had been held.[6] Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, another Republican presidential candidate, said that Davis was a victim of "judicial tyranny" and attended the same rally.[6][121] Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, also presidential candidates, both voiced their support for Davis.[120][122] Matt Bevin, the Republican nominee for Kentucky governor in the 2015 election, said a simple solution to Davis's plight is for the government to stop providing marriage contracts.[123][124]

A survey of American adults conducted by YouGov in September 2015 found that 56% supported Judge Bunning's decision to jail Davis for contempt of court, while 31% of Americans opposed the decision.[125][126] When asked what Davis should do, 65% said that Davis should resign from office; 23% said that Davis should stay in office and continue to refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples; and 4% said that Davis should remain in office but issue licenses to all persons legally entitled to one.[125][126]

Opposition by other court clerks

Other court clerks in the U.S. have also refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The probate judges of several counties in Alabama have stopped issuing marriage licenses to anyone. Probate Judge Nick Williams of Washington County, Alabama, said he stopped issuing licenses altogether to avoid discrimination and said, "I completely disagree with the authority the Supreme Court has."[127] Probate Judge John Enslen of Elmore County, Alabama, said the federal government, not state probate offices, should be the entity issuing same-sex marriage licenses.[128] Casey Davis (unrelated to Kim Davis), a clerk in Casey County, Kentucky, said, "We've not tried to prevent same-sex marriages, we've only tried to exercise our First Amendment rights", adding that such applicants could apply in other counties.[129] Kay Schwartz, a clerk in Whitley County, Kentucky, felt oppressed: "There's a law against bullying ... Why take away the majority's right [just] to give the minority their rights?"[130] She suggested the possibility of other options to meet the needs of same-sex applicants, such as an online service.[130] The ACLU has no plans for legal action against other court clerks or probate judges.[127] National attention has not been on them as the ACLU brought no case against them, speculated University of Kentucky political science professor D. B. Riggle: "The action in Rowan County may be in part due to the availability of plaintiffs for a case."[127]

Decisions and issues

You asked why I couldn't issue you a marriage license, and I'm explaining to you, I'm showing you why I cannot. They didn't want to hear that, though. They wanted to shove that paper down my throat and make me eat it for my dinner.

—Kim Davis, May 2016[131]

Under Kentucky law, a commonwealth's attorney has the power to indict various local officials including "judges-executives, justices of the peace, sheriffs, coroners, surveyors, jailers, county attorneys and constables" for "malfeasance in office or willful neglect in the discharge of official duties" (an offense punishable by removal from office and a fine of up to $1,000); however, the statute doesn't include county clerks. USA Today writer Andrew Wolfson blamed "some reason lost to history" for the omission.[132] Because Davis is an elected official, she cannot simply be fired.[132] For Davis to have been removed from the office of county clerk, impeachment proceedings would have had to have been initiated by the Kentucky House of Representatives and charges for impeachment brought to the Kentucky Senate.[132]

After being denied a license four times, one couple asked the Rowan County Attorney's Office to investigate Davis for official misconduct, a misdemeanor under Kentucky law.[79][132][133] Official misconduct in the first degree is a Class A misdemeanor and is punishable with imprisonment not to exceed 12 months and fines of $500.[133] The Rowan County Attorney's Office is prohibited from prosecuting Davis; Rowan County Attorney Cecil Watkins referred the official misconduct complaint to the Kentucky Attorney General's office, led by Attorney General Jack Conway.[134][135][136] The Kentucky Attorney General's office conducted a review,[137] and Conway issued a statement saying, "We are a nation of laws, and no one can defy an order from a federal judge."[138] Conway then issued a one-sentence statement saying that he would not appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Davis.[79][139]

Months after Davis's office began issuing same-sex marriage licenses, Davis's lawyers filed a motion asking the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit to overturn four of Judge Bunning's decisions, calling them a "rush to judgment" that "imposed direct pressure and substantial burden on Davis, forcing her to choose between her religious beliefs and forfeiting her essential personal freedom on one hand, or abandoning those beliefs to keep her freedom on the other hand".[140] The court denied the motion on November 5.[141] Davis's lawyers filed their last appeal the next day, requesting a delay in issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples, arguing that previous decisions should apply only to the four couples to whom Davis's office was initially ordered to issue licenses. The appeal also asked the sixth circuit court of appeals to overturn a previous ruling that had sent Davis to jail for failure to comply.[142] This final appeal was denied two days later by the court.[143]

In March 2016, the Campaign for Accountability (CfA), a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit group, made a request to Davis for access to public records under the Kentucky Open Records Act, seeking copies of retainer agreements and lawyer-client engagement agreements between Davis and her attorneys at Liberty Counsel.[144][145] Liberty Counsel, which responded to the request on Davis's behalf, refused to comply, arguing that the documents were preliminary and private records are not subject to the Act.[144] CfA appealed to the Office of the Kentucky Attorney General, which under Kentucky law has the authority to make binding rulings on the Open Records Act,[144] and resubmitted its request to Davis's office in April 2016.[145] The Attorney General's Office sought to privately review the records at issue to determine if an exemption applied, but Liberty Counsel refused to make most of the documents available for a private review.[144][145] In an opinion issued on June 30, 2016, the Attorney General's Office determined that Davis had violated the Open Records Act, saying that her conduct had the effect of "intentionally frustrating the attorney general's review of an open records request" which "would subvert the General Assembly's intent behind providing review by the attorney general."[144][145]

One of the first acts of newly elected Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin was an executive order to remove clerks' names from the state marriage licenses. Bevin expressed his hope on November 6, 2015, that the executive order will protect the religious beliefs of officials who are opposed to gay marriage.[146][147] Kim Davis and her attorneys at Liberty Counsel immediately requested that the court dismiss her appeals, because the new regulation provides a religious accommodation for her and makes the case moot.[148] Bunning agreed, dismissing the three lawsuits filed against her, saying the new governor's order to use a license form that does not require the county clerk's signature has removed the controversy before the court.[149][150][151][152] One of the plaintiff couples who were denied marriage licenses from Davis contacted Bunning, requesting they be allowed to recoup $230,000 in legal fees. Davis's attorneys asserted that their legislative victory resolves the matter; the couples did not prevail against Davis, therefore they are not entitled to demand that Davis reimburse their legal fees. Separately, Rowan County filed a response contending that the county government should never have to pay for the actions of a single county clerk.[153] Then, by May 2017, a Cincinnati federal appeals court found that Bunning had erred in finding that damages claims by plaintiff couple David Ermold and David Moore became moot, saying, "The district court's characterization of this case as simply contesting the 'no marriage licenses' policy is inaccurate, because Ermold and Moore did not seek an injunction—they sought only damages"; observing that the record does not prevent damages claims. The three-judge panel granted leave for the couple to sue for damages over one marriage license.[154] Their case was sent back to Bunning, where he stated that the state of Kentucky was obligated to pay $222,000 in legal fees.[155] The ACLU itself sued Davis to recover $233,000 in legal fees,[156][157] but the motion was denied; the organization was not a "prevailing party" in the legal action.[158][159]

In July 2017, Davis was again sued for failing to issue a marriage license. The plaintiff, Mark Sevier, Vanderbilt University Law School graduate, was denied a license to marry a laptop computer.[160][161] A similar Florida lawsuit was dismissed in May.[162]

By February 2019, Governor Bevin formally rejected the idea of Kentucky bearing the $222,000 financial responsibility, insisting the amount should be paid by Kim Davis alone. "Only Davis refused to comply with the law" Bevin stated through his attorneys, insisting taxpayers "should not have to collectively bear the financial responsibility for Davis's intransigence."[163] However, Bunning issued a preliminary injunction ordering the state of Kentucky to pay her legal fees, writing that "Davis represented the Commonwealth of Kentucky when she refused to issue marriage licenses to legally eligible couples. The buck stops there."[164][165][166] Local reporting acknowledged that Bevin had previously backed her refusal to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.[167][168] On August 23, 2019, the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati upheld Bunning's decision ordering Kentucky to pay the $225,000 legal bill from the Kim Davis case.[169]

Bunning ruled on March 18, 2022, that Davis violated the constitutional rights in both the Miller and Ermold cases, in light of the Supreme Court's Obergefell decision, stating that she "cannot use her own constitutional rights as a shield to violate the constitutional rights of others while performing her duties as an elected official." The decision allowed the plaintiffs in Miller and Ermold to continue to seek legal fees and potentially other damages from Davis through a jury trial.[170]

Meeting with Pope Francis

 
Pope Francis visited the U.S. in September 2015.

Within a few weeks of Davis's release from jail, Davis announced she and her husband had met with Pope Francis on September 24, 2015, at the Apostolic Nunciature to the United States in Washington, D.C., during the Pope's U.S. visit in September 2015.[171][172] According to Davis and her lawyer, the pope told Davis to "stay strong" and gave her two rosaries.[173][174][175][176] Vaticanist John L. Allen Jr. said that "there's no way to view the encounter other than as a broad gesture of support by the pope for conscientious objection from gay marriage laws" and that the gesture strengthened the hand of those who defend religious freedom.[177]

Two days later, the Holy See Press Office issued a statement saying that "the Pope did not enter into the details of the situation of Mrs. Davis and his meeting with her should not be considered a form of support of her position in all of its particular and complex aspects".[178][179][180][181] According to Vatican spokesman Father Thomas Rosica, the Pope met with several dozen other people, and rosaries were also given to others in attendance; Davis was not invited by the Pope to the Nunciature, and "the meeting may have been manipulated by her and her lawyer".[182] The only audience given by the Pope while in Washington was with a former student of his, an openly gay Argentine named Yayo Grassi, and Grassi's same-sex partner of 19 years.[180][183][184] Observers speculated whether the Pope had not been informed of Davis's controversy or if the Vatican had underestimated the media impact that such a meeting would cause.[185]

On September 27, 2015, a reporter asked Pope Francis if he supported individuals, including government officials, who have a contentious objection to certain duties such as issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. He responded:[186]

"I can’t have in mind all cases that can exist about conscience objection but yes, I can say conscientious objection is a right that is a part of every human right ...If a person does not allow others to be a conscientious objector, he denies a right. ... Conscientious objection must enter into every judicial structure ... Otherwise we would end up in a situation where we select what is a right, saying 'this right that has merit, this one does not.'"

Reelection campaign

Davis announced that she would run for reelection in 2018 as a Republican.[187] Davis did not face any challengers in the Republican primary. Four Democrats ran in the May 2018 primary with the winner being Rowan County Assistant Property Valuation Administrator Elwood Caudill Jr., whom Davis narrowly defeated in the Democratic primary in 2014.[188][189] One of the Democrats Caudill defeated was David Ermold, who had been denied a marriage license by Davis and then filed suit against her.[190][191] Davis lost her reelection campaign on November 6, 2018, when she was defeated by Caudill in the general election by a little over 8 percentage points.[192][193]

Personal life

Davis has been married four times to three husbands.[19][194] The first three marriages ended in divorce in 1994, 2006, and 2008. Davis has two daughters from her first marriage and twins, a son and another daughter, who were born five months after her divorce from her first husband.[citation needed] Her third husband is the biological father of the twins, the children being conceived while Davis was still married to her first husband. The twins were adopted by Davis's current husband, Joe Davis, who was also her second husband; the couple initially divorced in 2006 but later remarried.[7][60] Joe Davis has also stated his support for her stance against same-sex marriage.[59] Davis's son Nathan works in her office as a deputy clerk and has taken the same position of denying marriage licenses to same-sex couples.[195] Shortly after the same-sex marriage license controversy, Davis said she and her husband switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party.[1]

Davis says she experienced a religious awakening in 2011, following her mother-in-law's dying wish that she attend church.[14] Since then Davis has identified herself as a Christian, belonging to the Apostolic Pentecostal movement,[196] which favors what they describe as a literal interpretation of the Bible.[197] She worships three times a week[198] at the Solid Rock Apostolic Church near Morehead.[14][199] Following her conversion, Davis let her hair grow long, stopped wearing makeup and jewelry, and began wearing skirts and dresses that fall below the knee, in keeping with Apostolic Pentecostal tenets regarding outward holiness and modest dress.[98][199] She also held a weekly Bible study for female inmates at the local jail.[14][199] In an interview in January 2016, Davis said that she believed that "we are living in end times."[200] Davis also expressed her view that the Bible is infallible.[200]

Popular culture and public response

Davis was the subject of numerous satirical works following the burst of media attention in 2015. Books, social media profiles, and videos were created to satirize her refusal to issue marriage licenses. A Twitter account which once had more than 90,000 followers and is run by comedian Dave Colan trolled Davis with mocking tweets purporting to be from a woman who "Sits Next to Kim Davis".[201][202][203] Funny or Die made a Mashup video featuring characters from Parks and Recreation that spoofs Davis's refusal to issue marriage licenses[204][205] and parodies her meeting with Pope Francis.[206] La Strega Entertainment created a satirical music video sung to the tune of the "Major-General's Song" from Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance.[207] Saturday Night Live cast member Aidy Bryant portrayed Davis during the show's season 41 premiere.[208][209] Actress Jennifer Lawrence, in the December 2015 issue of Vogue, told Jonathan Van Meter that Kim Davis is a "lady that makes me embarrassed to be from Kentucky."[210][211][212]

In 2015, her office claims to have received death threats by phone and email, including an ex-Marine who called saying he would attack them with a machine gun.[213] In response, the sheriff's office took a position near the doorway of the office and Davis changed her driving routes and parking locations. She also had to change her home phone number.[213] She later reflected "It was a very volatile time. The threats were nonstop. The lashing out and the venom spewed toward me was, I mean, I blushed just reading some of the stuff. Just think 'eww' you know. And I've received things in the mail that were ungodly."[213] She stayed off social media and did not watch the news or any of the interviews or "read any of the stuff they wrote about me, which was some nasty stuff."[213]

She reflected, "And I just, I knew that no matter what the bad was, that the good definitely just outweighed it a thousand to one."[213]

Electoral history

2014 Democratic primary
2014 Rowan County County Clerk Democratic primary election[214]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Kim Davis 1,817 46.2%
Democratic Elwood Caudill Jr. 1,794 45.6%
Democratic Charlotte Combess 322 8.2%
2014 general election
2014 Rowan County County Clerk general election[215]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Kim Davis 3,909 53.2%
Republican John C. Cox 3,444 46.8%
Democratic hold
2018 Republican primary
2018 Rowan County County Clerk Republican primary election[216]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Kim Davis Unopposed
2018 general election
2018 Rowan County County Clerk general election[217]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Elwood Caudill Jr. 4,210 54.14%
Republican Kim Davis (Incumbent) 3,566 45.86%
Democratic gain from Republican

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ Chief Deputy Sheriff Joe Cline received $38,000 annually and Deputy Judge-Executive Jerry Alderman $36,000 annually; neither received overtime pay.
  2. ^ Liberty Counsel had already entered the debate over same-sex marriage by representing the eleven Alabama probate judges refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.[47]
  3. ^ After Davis's release from jail, the Oath Keepers—an armed right-wing militia group—offered to provide a "security detail" to Davis to help prevent U.S. Marshals from re-arresting her for contempt. Davis declined the offer.[85][86]
  4. ^ The form alterations that the ACLU objected to were: 1. The phrase "in the office of" is struck. 2. The phrase "county clerk" is struck. 3. In place of her name, the form now says "Pursuant to Federal Court Order #15-CV-44 DLB". 4. In place of the title "deputy clerk", required on the form, it now reads "notary public".[88]

Sources

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External links

  • Video documenting Kim Davis's refusal to issue a marriage license "under God's authority"
  • Rowan County clerk's website

March 25, 2023
davis, other, people, named, disambiguation, kimberly, jean, davis, née, bailey, born, september, 1965, former, county, clerk, rowan, county, kentucky, gained, international, attention, august, 2015, when, defied, federal, court, order, issue, marriage, licens. For other people named Kim Davis see Kim Davis disambiguation Kimberly Jean Davis nee Bailey born September 17 1965 is a former county clerk for Rowan County Kentucky who gained international attention in August 2015 when she defied a U S federal court order to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples Kim DavisClerk of Rowan County KentuckyIn office January 5 2015 January 7 2019Preceded byJean W BaileySucceeded byElwood Caudill Jr Personal detailsBornKimberly Jean Bailey 1965 09 17 September 17 1965 age 57 Jackson Kentucky U S Political partyRepublican 2015 present 1 Democratic 1983 2015 SpouseJoe DavisChildren4Known forRefusal to comply with a federal court order directing her to issue marriage licenses following Obergefell v HodgesDavis was elected Rowan County Clerk in 2014 The following year the Supreme Court decided Obergefell v Hodges and all county clerks in Kentucky were ordered to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples Citing personal religious objections to same sex marriage Davis began denying marriage licenses to all couples to avoid issuing them to same sex couples 2 3 A lawsuit Miller v Davis was filed and Davis was ordered by the U S District Court to start issuing marriage licenses She appealed to the U S Supreme Court but the application to appeal was denied Davis continued to defy the court order by refusing to issue marriage licenses under God s authority 2 she was ultimately jailed for contempt of court 4 Davis was released after five days in jail under the condition that she not interfere with the efforts of her deputy clerks who had begun issuing marriage licenses to all couples in her absence Davis then modified the Kentucky marriage licenses used in her office so that they no longer mentioned her name Davis s actions drew strong and mixed reactions from prominent politicians legal experts and religious leaders Attorney and author Roberta A Kaplan described Davis as the clearest example of someone who wants to use a religious liberty argument to discriminate 5 while law professor Eugene Volokh maintained that an employer must try to accommodate religious employees beliefs Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee said that Davis s imprisonment was part of the criminalization of Christianity 6 while Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin compared Davis s refusal to obey the decision of the U S Supreme Court to Alabama Governor George Wallace s Stand in the Schoolhouse Door in 1963 A few weeks after her release from jail Davis met with Pope Francis in Washington D C She was defeated by Democratic challenger Elwood Caudill Jr in the November 6 2018 election and vacated the office on January 7 2019 Contents 1 Career 1 1 Chief deputy clerk 1991 2015 1 2 County clerk 2015 2019 2 Same sex marriage license controversy 2 1 Background 2 2 Davis s reaction to same sex marriage ruling 2 3 Lawsuits against Davis 2 4 Appeal 2 5 Contempt of court and jailing 2 6 Release and return to work 2 7 Reactions to controversy 2 8 Opposition by other court clerks 2 9 Decisions and issues 3 Meeting with Pope Francis 4 Reelection campaign 5 Personal life 6 Popular culture and public response 7 Electoral history 8 See also 9 References 9 1 Notes 9 2 Sources 10 External linksCareer Edit Rowan Countyclass notpageimage Rowan Countyclass notpageimage The county seat of Rowan County Kentucky is Morehead Kentucky Chief deputy clerk 1991 2015 Edit Kim Davis was born on September 17 1965 7 in Jackson Kentucky 8 By 1991 she was serving as chief deputy clerk of Rowan County Kentucky reporting to her mother Rowan County Clerk Jean W Bailey 9 Davis s 2011 compensation was 51 812 equivalent to 62 412 in 2021 in wages with an additional 11 301 equivalent to 13 613 in 2021 in overtime and other compensation 9 She earned more than other chief deputies in the county a and some county employees and residents complained to the county s governing body the Fiscal Court that the clerk s staff s wages were too high with total compensation for five employees being about 198 000 The Fiscal Court then voted to cut the 2012 budget for wages from 300 000 to 200 000 9 County clerk 2015 2019 Edit After her mother announced she would not run for re election in 2014 Davis filed as a Democratic candidate for county clerk 10 At a candidates forum Davis stated she felt she was best qualified for the position because of her 26 years of experience in the clerk s office 11 Davis narrowly won the Democratic primary election 10 defeating Elwood Caudill Jr a deputy clerk in the Rowan County property valuation administrator s office by 23 votes and advancing to the general election against Republican John Cox 12 13 Davis won the election with Cox subsequently alleging that nepotism was to blame for his loss 14 After winning the race Davis told The Morehead News My words can never express the appreciation but I promise to each and every one that I will be the very best working clerk that I can be and will be a good steward of their tax dollars and follow the statutes of this office to the letter 15 13 16 Davis took the oath of office as the county clerk of Rowan County on January 5 2015 beginning a four year term slated to end on January 7 2019 17 As clerk in 2015 Davis received an annual salary of 80 000 equivalent to 91 456 in 2021 18 19 Same sex marriage license controversy EditBackground Edit See also Obergefell v Hodges On June 26 2015 the U S Supreme Court ruled in the landmark case of Obergefell v Hodges holding that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U S Constitution 20 21 Fourteen counties in three Southern states continued to deny marriage licenses for same sex marriage The Alabama Supreme Court allowed the probate judges of ten counties in Alabama to deny such marriage licenses the clerk of one Texas county chose to resign rather than issue such licenses and the clerks of two counties in Kentucky were not issuing licenses due to paperwork delays 22 23 24 Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear ordered all Kentucky county clerks to begin issuing same sex marriage licenses immediately 25 26 Davis s reaction to same sex marriage ruling Edit Davis asks for the video camera to be turned off as she refuses David Ermold and David Moore pictured a marriage license Release of the video ignited national controversy 27 Davis contacted Beshear asking for an executive order to protect clerks who have moral objections against personally issuing such marriage licenses 26 as Kentucky law requires county clerks to issue marriage licenses in their names 28 She began turning away gay couples from her county office who were seeking marriage licenses David Ermold and David Moore a same sex couple from Morehead Kentucky and alumni of Morehead State University released video footage on July 7 2015 of Davis refusing to issue them a marriage license and requesting that they turn off their camera 29 30 The video went viral overnight 31 The Family Foundation of Kentucky a local political organization held a protest rally against the ruling at the State Capitol in Frankfort on August 22 2015 attended by several thousand people 32 The clerks of the two other Kentucky counties declined to speak to the rally crowd but Davis spoke briefly saying I need your prayers to continue to stand firm in what we believe 33 At a competing event several blocks away organized by the Fairness Campaign of Louisville attendees celebrated the Supreme Court s decision and called upon government officials to uphold the law 32 Rather than issue marriage licenses to same sex couples Davis began denying marriage licenses to all couples 22 24 26 Lawsuits against Davis Edit Main article Miller v Davis Six couples who were denied marriage licenses from Davis sued her in her official capacity as county clerk Four couples were represented by the American Civil Liberties Union ACLU of Kentucky and two couples each had separate legal representation 22 34 35 The four couples represented by the ACLU two same sex couples and two opposite sex couples filed the first lawsuit against Davis Miller v Davis on July 2 2015 36 37 38 On July 10 2015 David Ermold and David Moore who had shot the viral video next filed suit against Davis represented by Joseph Buckles and Thomas Szczygielski Ermold v Davis 39 40 41 James Yates and William Smith Jr represented by Rene Heinrich of the Heinrich Firm PLLC and Kash Stilz of Roush amp Stilz PSC filed a suit against Davis on August 25 2015 Yates v Davis 42 43 44 Federal district judge David L Bunning of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky the judge assigned to the cases held hearings with Davis in Ashland at which she was the only witness Davis argued tearfully that issuing licenses under her name violated her beliefs citing her religious rights under the First Amendment It wasn t just a spur of the moment decision she said It was thought out and I sought God on it 26 Davis had already decided against resigning from her post as doing so she said would only leave the matter to her deputies If I resign I solve nothing It helps nobody 26 Governor Beshear stated that he would not call a special session of the General Assembly to address Davis s concerns while other state legislators believed that such a session could accommodate Davis with possible new legislation 45 Davis s attorneys from the Maitland Florida based law firm Liberty Counsel 46 b stated that the plaintiffs were free to drive to other counties to obtain their same sex marriage licenses with one adding This case is not about these plaintiffs desires to get married the case is about their desire to force Kim Davis to approve and authorize their marriage in violation of her constitutionally protected religious beliefs 26 Davis and her attorneys then sued Governor Beshear for ordering her to violate her religious beliefs instead of trying to accommodate them arguing that Beshear not Davis should be held accountable for any legal damages from the ACLU lawsuit 48 49 On August 12 Bunning issued a temporary stay barring Davis from applying her no marriage licenses policy to future marriage license requests 22 50 Before the stay expired the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit refused to extend that ruling for an appeal It cannot be defensibly argued that the holder of the Rowan County clerk s office may decline to act in conformity with the United States Constitution the three judge panel wrote unanimously in their refusal continuing There is thus little or no likelihood that the clerk in her official capacity will prevail on appeal 50 Appeal Edit Main article Miller v Davis Appeal Liberty Counsel and Davis filed an emergency application to appeal with the U S Supreme Court On August 31 2015 in a one line order the Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal preventing Davis from legally continuing to deny marriage licenses 50 51 In response to the U S Supreme Court s refusal to grant her stay request Davis stated I never imagined a day like this would come where I would be asked to violate a central teaching of Scripture and of Jesus Himself regarding marriage To issue a marriage license which conflicts with God s definition of marriage with my name affixed to the certificate would violate my conscience 52 53 54 Davis continued to defy Bunning s court order after the Supreme Court s refusal 55 56 The following morning several couples sought to obtain marriage licenses but Davis turned them away saying she was acting under God s authority 2 3 Some in the media questioned whether Davis having been married four times and only recently converted was acting hypocritically in the application of her beliefs 57 58 59 60 Contempt of court and jailing Edit Main article Miller v Davis Contempt of court Judge Bunning ordered Davis and her six deputy clerks to appear before him on September 3 after the six couples sought to have her held in contempt of court 28 61 Bunning ruled in the plaintiffs favor and held Davis in contempt 62 63 The ACLU asked the court to fine Davis 64 but Bunning ordered her remanded in custody after the hearing The judge said Davis would remain there until she complied with the court s order to issue marriage licenses 62 63 Bunning then spoke with each of the deputy clerks who reported to Davis Only her son Nathan Davis told the judge he refused to comply with the court s order to start issuing marriage licenses Bunning declined to hold him in contempt 65 66 After the hearing U S Marshals transported Davis to the Carter County Detention Center in Grayson 67 On Friday September 4 the first day her office was open during her incarceration Davis s deputy clerks began issuing marriage licenses to all couples 8 James Yates and William Smith Jr independently suing Davis were the first couple in Rowan County to receive a marriage license since Obergefell 68 They were soon followed by other couples who were plaintiffs against Davis 8 69 Through her Liberty Counsel attorneys Davis filed an appeal of the order holding her in contempt of court asking that she be released immediately from jail and that her name be removed from marriage licenses allowing her deputies to issue them 8 70 Separately Davis asked Governor Beshear to free her The governor s office said that the conflict was a matter between her and the courts 71 Beshear added that he lacked the legal authority to either remove Davis from office or to relieve Davis of her statutory duties 72 Rowan County Democratic Judge Executive Walter Blevins 73 stated that he did not believe he would need to appoint a replacement for Davis and that he believed the Attorney General of Kentucky and the General Assembly will pass something where marriage licenses don t have anyone s name on them 74 Release and return to work Edit Main article Miller v Davis Release from custody Five days later on Tuesday September 8 Bunning ordered Davis released from jail 75 76 77 The order stated Defendant Davis shall not interfere in any way directly or indirectly with the efforts of her deputy clerks to issue marriage licenses to all legally eligible couples If Defendant Davis should interfere in any way with their issuance that will be considered a violation of this order and appropriate sanctions will be considered 78 Bunning s order also stated that Davis s deputy clerks must continue to comply with his earlier order to issue marriage licenses and to submit status reports to him every fourteen days confirming their compliance 76 77 78 The deputy clerks released statements pledging to continue issuing licenses after Davis s release and to ignore any order from her to do otherwise complying with the federal judge s order 79 80 Licenses issued since Davis s refusal state that they are authorized by the office of the Rowan County Clerk but no longer bear her name 81 82 Davis s supporters gathered at the Rowan County Courthouse since her first day in custody said that her deputies were unlawfully issuing licenses and should resign or be fired 83 84 c Davis returned to work a week later on September 14 2015 She said that while she would not interfere with any deputy clerk who issues marriage licenses she would not personally issue or authorize any of the forms 87 She created several altered versions of the Kentucky marriage license form and instructed her deputy clerks to use them which had her name and reference to the clerk s office removed 88 The ACLU sued Davis separately for these form alterations which they found to be of questionable legality 88 d Governor Steve Beshear was asked by Bunning to brief the court on the validity of the licenses Governor Beshear acknowledged that Kentucky would recognize the licenses being issued but he could not verify the legality of the licenses issued or the means by which the marriage licenses were altered 88 89 Bunning ultimately denied the ACLU s separate suit stating the altered forms were likely legal and that Davis was now abiding by the court s order 90 While Davis remained inside her personal office same sex couples successfully walked out of the Rowan County clerk s office with their marriage licenses 91 92 One of the applicants said My license is valid and it s valid because of the court order that s in effect It doesn t have to have her signature 93 Reactions to controversy Edit Government officials are free to disagree with the law but not disobey it Kerry B Harvey United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky 94 95 96 Davis gained international attention after her refusal to issue marriage licenses and the ensuing controversy her actions caused 97 98 99 100 101 102 Many legal experts asserted that Davis had no standing under the law to refuse to issue the licenses Columbia Law School professor Katherine Franke said Kim Davis has all sorts of religious liberty rights secured under the First Amendment and under other laws but they are not at stake in this case All she s asked to do with couples that come before her is certify that they ve met the state requirements for marriage so her religious opposition to same sex marriage is absolutely irrelevant 103 Professor Stephen Vladeck of American University s Washington College of Law said that Davis waived any right to have an objection to issuing same sex marriage licenses when she ran for the job 95 Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin and others compared Davis s refusal to follow orders of the U S Supreme Court to Alabama Governor George Wallace s futile Stand in the Schoolhouse Door protest of desegregation in 1963 65 104 105 The Human Rights Campaign a national LGBT civil rights group said Ms Davis has the fundamental right to believe what she likes but as a public servant she does not have the right to pick and choose which laws she will follow or which services she will provide 50 Attorney and author Roberta A Kaplan who argued for the plaintiffs in United States v Windsor wrote that Kim Davis is the clearest example of someone who wants to use a religious liberty argument to discriminate yet she swore an oath to uphold the Constitution It is laughable that she can then decide which laws to enforce which is why every decision in her case has gone against her 5 Opposition to the federal ruling came from political columnists William McGurn of The Wall Street Journal and Ray Nothstine of The Christian Post 106 107 Law professor Eugene Volokh suggested that the Kentucky s state religious freedom restoration act might compel the state to accommodate Davis s religious beliefs and argued that state courts have the authority to order the removal of Davis s name from marriage licenses 108 Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers also came to Davis s defense he stated in an amicus brief filed in federal court that the Supreme Court ruling has completely obliterated the definition of marriage 109 Liberty Counsel the law firm defending Davis stated Kim Davis is being treated as a criminal because she cannot violate her conscience 110 stating also that she refused to accept a proposed compromise where she would no longer be found in contempt if she agreed not to interfere with her deputies issuing licenses to same sex couples 63 Reactions against Davis also came from the White House from Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear and from candidates in the race for the 2016 presidential election White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said No public official is above the rule of law Certainly not the president of the United States but neither is the Rowan County clerk 111 Governor Beshear said the judge s decision speaks for itself 112 113 114 while his attorneys called the legal arguments in her suit against him absurd 115 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said Officials should be held to their duty to uphold the law end of story 116 117 Several Republican presidential candidates also called on Davis to comply with court orders Donald Trump said the decision s been made and that is the law of the land 118 119 Jeb Bush former governor of Florida said Davis is sworn to uphold the law but also suggested that some sort of accommodation be made for her 117 Republican presidential candidates Carly Fiorina and Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina both suggested that Davis should comply with the court order or resign 120 Several national Republican politicians supported Davis Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee the former governor of Arkansas said that the Kim Davis affair was part of a criminalization of Christianity and organized a rally for Davis outside the jail where she had been held 6 Senator Ted Cruz of Texas another Republican presidential candidate said that Davis was a victim of judicial tyranny and attended the same rally 6 121 Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky also presidential candidates both voiced their support for Davis 120 122 Matt Bevin the Republican nominee for Kentucky governor in the 2015 election said a simple solution to Davis s plight is for the government to stop providing marriage contracts 123 124 A survey of American adults conducted by YouGov in September 2015 found that 56 supported Judge Bunning s decision to jail Davis for contempt of court while 31 of Americans opposed the decision 125 126 When asked what Davis should do 65 said that Davis should resign from office 23 said that Davis should stay in office and continue to refuse to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples and 4 said that Davis should remain in office but issue licenses to all persons legally entitled to one 125 126 Opposition by other court clerks Edit Other court clerks in the U S have also refused to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples The probate judges of several counties in Alabama have stopped issuing marriage licenses to anyone Probate Judge Nick Williams of Washington County Alabama said he stopped issuing licenses altogether to avoid discrimination and said I completely disagree with the authority the Supreme Court has 127 Probate Judge John Enslen of Elmore County Alabama said the federal government not state probate offices should be the entity issuing same sex marriage licenses 128 Casey Davis unrelated to Kim Davis a clerk in Casey County Kentucky said We ve not tried to prevent same sex marriages we ve only tried to exercise our First Amendment rights adding that such applicants could apply in other counties 129 Kay Schwartz a clerk in Whitley County Kentucky felt oppressed There s a law against bullying Why take away the majority s right just to give the minority their rights 130 She suggested the possibility of other options to meet the needs of same sex applicants such as an online service 130 The ACLU has no plans for legal action against other court clerks or probate judges 127 National attention has not been on them as the ACLU brought no case against them speculated University of Kentucky political science professor D B Riggle The action in Rowan County may be in part due to the availability of plaintiffs for a case 127 Decisions and issues Edit You asked why I couldn t issue you a marriage license and I m explaining to you I m showing you why I cannot They didn t want to hear that though They wanted to shove that paper down my throat and make me eat it for my dinner Kim Davis May 2016 131 Under Kentucky law a commonwealth s attorney has the power to indict various local officials including judges executives justices of the peace sheriffs coroners surveyors jailers county attorneys and constables for malfeasance in office or willful neglect in the discharge of official duties an offense punishable by removal from office and a fine of up to 1 000 however the statute doesn t include county clerks USA Today writer Andrew Wolfson blamed some reason lost to history for the omission 132 Because Davis is an elected official she cannot simply be fired 132 For Davis to have been removed from the office of county clerk impeachment proceedings would have had to have been initiated by the Kentucky House of Representatives and charges for impeachment brought to the Kentucky Senate 132 After being denied a license four times one couple asked the Rowan County Attorney s Office to investigate Davis for official misconduct a misdemeanor under Kentucky law 79 132 133 Official misconduct in the first degree is a Class A misdemeanor and is punishable with imprisonment not to exceed 12 months and fines of 500 133 The Rowan County Attorney s Office is prohibited from prosecuting Davis Rowan County Attorney Cecil Watkins referred the official misconduct complaint to the Kentucky Attorney General s office led by Attorney General Jack Conway 134 135 136 The Kentucky Attorney General s office conducted a review 137 and Conway issued a statement saying We are a nation of laws and no one can defy an order from a federal judge 138 Conway then issued a one sentence statement saying that he would not appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Davis 79 139 Months after Davis s office began issuing same sex marriage licenses Davis s lawyers filed a motion asking the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit to overturn four of Judge Bunning s decisions calling them a rush to judgment that imposed direct pressure and substantial burden on Davis forcing her to choose between her religious beliefs and forfeiting her essential personal freedom on one hand or abandoning those beliefs to keep her freedom on the other hand 140 The court denied the motion on November 5 141 Davis s lawyers filed their last appeal the next day requesting a delay in issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples arguing that previous decisions should apply only to the four couples to whom Davis s office was initially ordered to issue licenses The appeal also asked the sixth circuit court of appeals to overturn a previous ruling that had sent Davis to jail for failure to comply 142 This final appeal was denied two days later by the court 143 In March 2016 the Campaign for Accountability CfA a Washington D C based nonprofit group made a request to Davis for access to public records under the Kentucky Open Records Act seeking copies of retainer agreements and lawyer client engagement agreements between Davis and her attorneys at Liberty Counsel 144 145 Liberty Counsel which responded to the request on Davis s behalf refused to comply arguing that the documents were preliminary and private records are not subject to the Act 144 CfA appealed to the Office of the Kentucky Attorney General which under Kentucky law has the authority to make binding rulings on the Open Records Act 144 and resubmitted its request to Davis s office in April 2016 145 The Attorney General s Office sought to privately review the records at issue to determine if an exemption applied but Liberty Counsel refused to make most of the documents available for a private review 144 145 In an opinion issued on June 30 2016 the Attorney General s Office determined that Davis had violated the Open Records Act saying that her conduct had the effect of intentionally frustrating the attorney general s review of an open records request which would subvert the General Assembly s intent behind providing review by the attorney general 144 145 One of the first acts of newly elected Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin was an executive order to remove clerks names from the state marriage licenses Bevin expressed his hope on November 6 2015 that the executive order will protect the religious beliefs of officials who are opposed to gay marriage 146 147 Kim Davis and her attorneys at Liberty Counsel immediately requested that the court dismiss her appeals because the new regulation provides a religious accommodation for her and makes the case moot 148 Bunning agreed dismissing the three lawsuits filed against her saying the new governor s order to use a license form that does not require the county clerk s signature has removed the controversy before the court 149 150 151 152 One of the plaintiff couples who were denied marriage licenses from Davis contacted Bunning requesting they be allowed to recoup 230 000 in legal fees Davis s attorneys asserted that their legislative victory resolves the matter the couples did not prevail against Davis therefore they are not entitled to demand that Davis reimburse their legal fees Separately Rowan County filed a response contending that the county government should never have to pay for the actions of a single county clerk 153 Then by May 2017 a Cincinnati federal appeals court found that Bunning had erred in finding that damages claims by plaintiff couple David Ermold and David Moore became moot saying The district court s characterization of this case as simply contesting the no marriage licenses policy is inaccurate because Ermold and Moore did not seek an injunction they sought only damages observing that the record does not prevent damages claims The three judge panel granted leave for the couple to sue for damages over one marriage license 154 Their case was sent back to Bunning where he stated that the state of Kentucky was obligated to pay 222 000 in legal fees 155 The ACLU itself sued Davis to recover 233 000 in legal fees 156 157 but the motion was denied the organization was not a prevailing party in the legal action 158 159 In July 2017 Davis was again sued for failing to issue a marriage license The plaintiff Mark Sevier Vanderbilt University Law School graduate was denied a license to marry a laptop computer 160 161 A similar Florida lawsuit was dismissed in May 162 By February 2019 Governor Bevin formally rejected the idea of Kentucky bearing the 222 000 financial responsibility insisting the amount should be paid by Kim Davis alone Only Davis refused to comply with the law Bevin stated through his attorneys insisting taxpayers should not have to collectively bear the financial responsibility for Davis s intransigence 163 However Bunning issued a preliminary injunction ordering the state of Kentucky to pay her legal fees writing that Davis represented the Commonwealth of Kentucky when she refused to issue marriage licenses to legally eligible couples The buck stops there 164 165 166 Local reporting acknowledged that Bevin had previously backed her refusal to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples 167 168 On August 23 2019 the U S 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati upheld Bunning s decision ordering Kentucky to pay the 225 000 legal bill from the Kim Davis case 169 Bunning ruled on March 18 2022 that Davis violated the constitutional rights in both the Miller and Ermold cases in light of the Supreme Court s Obergefell decision stating that she cannot use her own constitutional rights as a shield to violate the constitutional rights of others while performing her duties as an elected official The decision allowed the plaintiffs in Miller and Ermold to continue to seek legal fees and potentially other damages from Davis through a jury trial 170 Meeting with Pope Francis Edit Pope Francis visited the U S in September 2015 Within a few weeks of Davis s release from jail Davis announced she and her husband had met with Pope Francis on September 24 2015 at the Apostolic Nunciature to the United States in Washington D C during the Pope s U S visit in September 2015 171 172 According to Davis and her lawyer the pope told Davis to stay strong and gave her two rosaries 173 174 175 176 Vaticanist John L Allen Jr said that there s no way to view the encounter other than as a broad gesture of support by the pope for conscientious objection from gay marriage laws and that the gesture strengthened the hand of those who defend religious freedom 177 Two days later the Holy See Press Office issued a statement saying that the Pope did not enter into the details of the situation of Mrs Davis and his meeting with her should not be considered a form of support of her position in all of its particular and complex aspects 178 179 180 181 According to Vatican spokesman Father Thomas Rosica the Pope met with several dozen other people and rosaries were also given to others in attendance Davis was not invited by the Pope to the Nunciature and the meeting may have been manipulated by her and her lawyer 182 The only audience given by the Pope while in Washington was with a former student of his an openly gay Argentine named Yayo Grassi and Grassi s same sex partner of 19 years 180 183 184 Observers speculated whether the Pope had not been informed of Davis s controversy or if the Vatican had underestimated the media impact that such a meeting would cause 185 On September 27 2015 a reporter asked Pope Francis if he supported individuals including government officials who have a contentious objection to certain duties such as issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples He responded 186 I can t have in mind all cases that can exist about conscience objection but yes I can say conscientious objection is a right that is a part of every human right If a person does not allow others to be a conscientious objector he denies a right Conscientious objection must enter into every judicial structure Otherwise we would end up in a situation where we select what is a right saying this right that has merit this one does not Reelection campaign EditDavis announced that she would run for reelection in 2018 as a Republican 187 Davis did not face any challengers in the Republican primary Four Democrats ran in the May 2018 primary with the winner being Rowan County Assistant Property Valuation Administrator Elwood Caudill Jr whom Davis narrowly defeated in the Democratic primary in 2014 188 189 One of the Democrats Caudill defeated was David Ermold who had been denied a marriage license by Davis and then filed suit against her 190 191 Davis lost her reelection campaign on November 6 2018 when she was defeated by Caudill in the general election by a little over 8 percentage points 192 193 Personal life EditDavis has been married four times to three husbands 19 194 The first three marriages ended in divorce in 1994 2006 and 2008 Davis has two daughters from her first marriage and twins a son and another daughter who were born five months after her divorce from her first husband citation needed Her third husband is the biological father of the twins the children being conceived while Davis was still married to her first husband The twins were adopted by Davis s current husband Joe Davis who was also her second husband the couple initially divorced in 2006 but later remarried 7 60 Joe Davis has also stated his support for her stance against same sex marriage 59 Davis s son Nathan works in her office as a deputy clerk and has taken the same position of denying marriage licenses to same sex couples 195 Shortly after the same sex marriage license controversy Davis said she and her husband switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party 1 Davis says she experienced a religious awakening in 2011 following her mother in law s dying wish that she attend church 14 Since then Davis has identified herself as a Christian belonging to the Apostolic Pentecostal movement 196 which favors what they describe as a literal interpretation of the Bible 197 She worships three times a week 198 at the Solid Rock Apostolic Church near Morehead 14 199 Following her conversion Davis let her hair grow long stopped wearing makeup and jewelry and began wearing skirts and dresses that fall below the knee in keeping with Apostolic Pentecostal tenets regarding outward holiness and modest dress 98 199 She also held a weekly Bible study for female inmates at the local jail 14 199 In an interview in January 2016 Davis said that she believed that we are living in end times 200 Davis also expressed her view that the Bible is infallible 200 Popular culture and public response EditDavis was the subject of numerous satirical works following the burst of media attention in 2015 Books social media profiles and videos were created to satirize her refusal to issue marriage licenses A Twitter account which once had more than 90 000 followers and is run by comedian Dave Colan trolled Davis with mocking tweets purporting to be from a woman who Sits Next to Kim Davis 201 202 203 Funny or Die made a Mashup video featuring characters from Parks and Recreation that spoofs Davis s refusal to issue marriage licenses 204 205 and parodies her meeting with Pope Francis 206 La Strega Entertainment created a satirical music video sung to the tune of the Major General s Song from Gilbert and Sullivan s Pirates of Penzance 207 Saturday Night Live cast member Aidy Bryant portrayed Davis during the show s season 41 premiere 208 209 Actress Jennifer Lawrence in the December 2015 issue of Vogue told Jonathan Van Meter that Kim Davis is a lady that makes me embarrassed to be from Kentucky 210 211 212 In 2015 her office claims to have received death threats by phone and email including an ex Marine who called saying he would attack them with a machine gun 213 In response the sheriff s office took a position near the doorway of the office and Davis changed her driving routes and parking locations She also had to change her home phone number 213 She later reflected It was a very volatile time The threats were nonstop The lashing out and the venom spewed toward me was I mean I blushed just reading some of the stuff Just think eww you know And I ve received things in the mail that were ungodly 213 She stayed off social media and did not watch the news or any of the interviews or read any of the stuff they wrote about me which was some nasty stuff 213 She reflected And I just I knew that no matter what the bad was that the good definitely just outweighed it a thousand to one 213 Electoral history Edit2014 Democratic primary2014 Rowan County County Clerk Democratic primary election 214 Party Candidate Votes Democratic Kim Davis 1 817 46 2 Democratic Elwood Caudill Jr 1 794 45 6 Democratic Charlotte Combess 322 8 2 2014 general election2014 Rowan County County Clerk general election 215 Party Candidate Votes Democratic Kim Davis 3 909 53 2 Republican John C Cox 3 444 46 8 Democratic hold2018 Republican primary2018 Rowan County County Clerk Republican primary election 216 Party Candidate Votes Republican Kim Davis Unopposed2018 general election2018 Rowan County County Clerk general election 217 Party Candidate Votes Democratic Elwood Caudill Jr 4 210 54 14 Republican Kim Davis Incumbent 3 566 45 86 Democratic gain from RepublicanSee also EditList of American politicians who switched parties in office Masterpiece Cakeshop v Colorado Civil Rights Commission 2009 Louisiana interracial marriage incidentReferences EditNotes Edit Chief Deputy Sheriff Joe Cline received 38 000 annually and Deputy Judge Executive Jerry Alderman 36 000 annually neither received overtime pay Liberty Counsel had already entered the debate over same sex marriage by representing the eleven Alabama probate judges refusing to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples 47 After Davis s release from jail the Oath Keepers an armed right wing militia group offered to provide a security detail to Davis to help prevent U S Marshals from re arresting her for contempt Davis declined the offer 85 86 The form alterations that the ACLU objected to were 1 The phrase in the office of is struck 2 The phrase county clerk is struck 3 In place of her name the form now says Pursuant to Federal Court Order 15 CV 44 DLB 4 In place of the title deputy clerk required on the form it now reads notary public 88 Sources Edit a b Kentucky clerk in gay marriage dispute switches to Republican Party Reuters September 23 2015 Retrieved September 23 2015 a b c Blinder Alan Perez Pena Richard September 1 2015 Kentucky Clerk Denies Same Sex Marriage Licenses Defying Court The New York Times Retrieved September 1 2015 a b Bobic Igor September 1 2015 Kentucky Clerk Refuses to Issue Marriage License to Gay Couples in Heated Exchange HuffPost Retrieved September 1 2015 Kim Davis Kentucky Clerk Blocking Gay Marriages Held in Contempt NBC News Retrieved October 5 2020 a b Bromberger Brian October 15 2015 New book details Windsor Supreme Court victory Bay Area Reporter San Francisco Bay Area Retrieved October 16 2015 a b c Hanna Jason September 8 2015 Kim Davis released but judge bars her from withholding marriage licenses At rally Republican presidential hopeful takes center stage CNN Retrieved September 8 2015 a b Wolfson Andrew Wynn Mike September 3 2015 Ky clerk Kim Davis stands firm amid ridicule The Courier Journal Louisville Kentucky Retrieved September 7 2015 a b c d Kentucky clerk who refused same sex marriage licenses starts new appeal Reuters September 6 2015 Retrieved May 8 2016 a b c Kappes Keith December 27 2011 County clerk s office budget reduced first time The Morehead News Morehead Kentucky Retrieved September 6 2015 The highest staff wage in 2011 63 113 was paid to Bailey s chief deputy clerk Kim Davis who also happens to be her daughter Davis is listed at 24 91 hourly for a 40 hour work week and an annual wage of 51 812 her rate of pay apparently triggered most of the complaints a b Staff May 20 2014 Blevins wins judge executive nomination The Morehead News Morehead Kentucky Archived from the original on July 9 2017 Retrieved September 6 2015 Stacy Brad April 25 2014 Primary candidates featured at forum The Morehead News Morehead Kentucky Retrieved September 6 2015 Kappes Keith May 23 2014 Davis wins squeaker in county clerk s race The Morehead News Morehead Kentucky Retrieved October 2 2016 a b Menville Shayla October 17 2014 County clerk s race more contested than usual The Morehead News Morehead Kentucky Retrieved September 6 2015 a b c d Blinder Alan Fausset Richard September 1 2015 Kim Davis a Local Fixture and Now a National Symbol The New York Times Retrieved September 2 2015 Menville Shayla November 7 2014 Davis following her mother as county clerk The Morehead News Morehead Kentucky Retrieved September 6 2015 Kentucky Clerk Won t Give Gay Couple Marriage License Defying Order Fox News Channel August 13 2015 Retrieved September 1 2015 Kentucky Constitution Section 99 Kentucky Legislature Retrieved September 4 2015 At the election in 1998 and every 4 years thereafter there shall be elected in each county a County Court Clerk who shall enter upon the discharge of the duties of their offices on the first Monday in January after their election and who shall hold their offices 4 years Wynn Mike Wolfson Andrew September 1 2015 Gay couples ask judge to punish defiant clerk USA Today Retrieved September 1 2015 a b Clerk in Ky marriage fight has turbulent marital history CBS News September 2 2015 Retrieved September 3 2015 Obergefell v Hodges 576 US 22 June 26 2015 The Court now holds that same sex couples may exercise the fundamental right to marry Denniston Lyle June 26 2015 Opinion Analysis Marriage Now Open to Same Sex Couples SCOTUSblog Retrieved July 2 2015 a b c d Stolberg Sheryl Gay August 13 2015 Kentucky Clerk Defies Court on Marriage Licenses for Gay Couples The New York Times Retrieved September 8 2015 Morris Luke July 10 2015 Rusk County clerk resigns to keep from issuing gay marriage licenses The Dallas Morning News Retrieved September 13 2015 a b Local Government Responses to Obergefell v Hodges Local government response by state Ballotpedia September 11 2015 Retrieved August 31 2015 Lord Joseph June 26 2015 Gov Steve Beshear Kentucky Will Recognize Same Sex Marriages Starting Today WKMS FM Murray Kentucky Retrieved October 3 2015 a b c d e f Wynn Mike July 21 2015 Clerk sought God on marriage license issue The Courier Journal Louisville Kentucky Retrieved October 3 2015 McClam Erin Williams Pete September 1 2015 Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis Defies Supreme Court Turns Down Gay Couples a b Wynn Mike Kenning Chris September 4 2015 Ky clerk s office will issue marriage licenses Friday without the clerk USA Today Retrieved September 4 2015 David Ermold and David Moore July 7 2015 Denied marriage license in Morehead KY Rowan County Retrieved December 27 2015 via YouTube Browning Bil July 8 2015 Cops Respond to Kentucky Gay Couple Requesting Marriage License The Advocate Retrieved August 5 2017 Staff July 9 2015 Video of Rowan clerk denying same sex couple s marriage license goes viral Lexington Kentucky WKYT TV Retrieved May 7 2016 a b Brammer Jack August 22 2015 Two rallies in Frankfort represent two sides of same sex marriage debate Lexington Herald Leader Lexington Kentucky Archived from the original on August 15 2016 Retrieved September 15 2016 Chamberland Michele August 22 2015 Thousands Rally for Clerks Denying Gay Marriage Licenses Lexington Kentucky WKYT TV Retrieved August 31 2015 Staff August 28 2015 Court of Appeals denies delay Davis still refuses The Morehead News Morehead Kentucky Archived from the original on July 11 2019 Retrieved August 29 2015 ACLU of Kentucky Files Class Action Suit Against Rowan County and its Clerk Says Denial of Marriage Licenses to Same Gender and Opposite Gender Couples Unconstitutional Louisville Kentucky ACLU July 2 2015 Retrieved September 13 2015 Miller v Davis PacerMonitor Kentucky Eastern District Court July 2 2015 Miller v Davis PlainSite Kentucky Eastern District Court July 2 2015 Miller v Davis Justia Kentucky Eastern District Court July 2 2015 Ermold v Davis PacerMonitor Kentucky Eastern District Court July 10 2015 Ermold v Davis PlainSite Kentucky Eastern District Court July 10 2015 Ermold v Davis Justia Kentucky Eastern District Court July 10 2015 Yates v Davis PacerMonitor Kentucky Eastern District Court August 25 2015 Yates v Davis PlainSite Kentucky Eastern District Court August 25 2015 Yates v Davis Justia Kentucky Eastern District Court August 25 2015 Wolfson Andrew September 2 2015 Stivers asks judge to not punish Kim Davis The Courier Journal Louisville Kentucky Retrieved October 3 2015 Stern Mark Joseph August 31 2015 Is Kentucky s Infamous Anti Gay Clerk Getting Taken for a Ride by Her Lawyers Slate Retrieved September 3 2015 Anti LGBT Hate Group to Represent Alabama Judges Refusing to Perform Same Sex Marriages Southern Poverty Law Center February 9 2015 Retrieved September 3 2015 Founded in 1989 and based in Orlando Fla the Liberty Counsel is well known for its strident anti LGBT rhetoric Cheves John August 5 2015 Rowan County clerk sues Ky governor claims same sex marriage order violates religious freedom Lexington Herald Leader Lexington Kentucky Archived from the original on May 7 2016 Retrieved October 3 2015 Kentucky clerk suing Gov Steve Beshear over order to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples Daily News New York August 5 2015 Retrieved October 3 2015 a b c d Liptak Adam August 31 2015 Supreme Court Says Kentucky Clerk Must Let Gay Couples Marry The New York Times Retrieved August 31 2015 de Vogue Ariane Diamond Jeremy September 1 2015 ACLU Wants Kentucky Clerk in Contempt of Court over Denying Gay Marriage Licenses CNN Retrieved September 1 2015 Staff September 1 2015 Kim Davis Issues Statement The Morehead News Morehead Kentucky Retrieved September 6 2015 Wynn Mike Wolfson Andrew September 2 2015 Kim Davis cites God Crowd jeers gay couple The Courier Journal Louisville Kentucky Retrieved October 3 2015 Statement of Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis Liberty Counsel September 1 2015 Archived from the original on September 2 2015 Retrieved September 3 2015 Cheves John September 2 2015 Q amp A What can federal judge do to make Rowan clerk obey his order to issue marriage licenses Lexington Herald Leader Lexington Kentucky Archived from the original on May 7 2016 Retrieved September 4 2015 Chappell Bill August 31 2015 Kentucky Clerk s Request for a Stay Is Denied By U S Supreme Court NPR Retrieved September 6 2015 Felton Ryan September 2 2015 Kentucky clerk denying licenses to gay couples has married four times The Guardian Retrieved September 3 2015 Arana Gabriel September 2 2015 Dan Savage Thrice Divorced Kim Davis Is A Hypocrite Just Waiting To Cash In HuffPost Retrieved September 3 2015 a b Galofaro Claire September 2 2015 Kentucky Clerk in Gay Marriage Fight Says to Her It s a Heaven or Hell Decision U S News amp World Report Associated Press a b Nelson Steven September 1 2015 Kentucky Clerk Fighting Gay Marriage Has Wed Four Times U S News amp World Report Retrieved September 3 2015 Defiant Kentucky county clerk to learn fate soon CBS News September 3 2015 Retrieved September 3 2015 a b Graham Alexandria September 3 2015 Court adjourned Kim Davis jailed for contempt of court WTVQ DT Lexington Kentucky Retrieved September 3 2015 a b c Ortiz Erik September 3 2015 Kim Davis Kentucky Clerk Held in Contempt and Ordered to Jail NBC News Retrieved September 3 2015 Oh Inae September 3 2015 Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis Headed to Court Over Refusal to Issue Gay Marriage Licenses Mother Jones Retrieved September 3 2015 a b Blinder Alan Lewin Tamar September 3 2015 Clerk in Kentucky Chooses Jail Over Deal on Same Sex Marriage The New York Times Retrieved September 3 2015 Dolan Eric W September 3 2015 Kim Davis son Nathan refuses to issue same sex marriage licenses in Kentucky after mother is jailed The Raw Story Retrieved December 27 2015 Griffin Dan Colegrove Andrew Hundreds Attend Rally for Kim Davis at Carter County Detention Center Huntington West Virginia WSAZ TV Associated Press Retrieved September 6 2015 permanent dead link Payne Ed Hanna Jason September 4 2015 After Kim Davis is jailed clerk s office issues marriage license to gay couple CNN Retrieved January 13 2016 Williams Bethanni Rose Derrick September 4 2015 Marriage licenses issued in Rowan Co to same sex couples Louisville Kentucky WHAS TV Retrieved April 13 2016 Payne Ed September 7 2015 Kim Davis appeals contempt of court ruling over same sex marriage licenses CNN Retrieved September 7 2015 Ellis Ralph Payne Ed September 7 2015 Kim Davis asks Kentucky governor to free her in same sex marriage case CNN Retrieved September 7 2015 Martinez Michael September 9 2015 Who is Kim Davis Kentucky clerk jailed over same sex marriage licenses CNN Retrieved September 30 2017 The governor has no legal authority to remove Davis and cannot use an executive order to relieve her of statutory duties he said Tongray Marla December 30 2013 Blevins to run for Rowan judge executive The Ledger Independent Maysville Kentucky Retrieved September 7 2015 permanent dead link DeHart Larry September 2 2015 Blevins optimistic Davis won t be impeached The Morehead News Morehead Kentucky Retrieved September 7 2015 Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis Ordered Released from Jail CBS News September 8 2015 Retrieved September 8 2015 a b Schuppe Jon September 8 2015 Judge Orders Kim Davis Freed from Kentucky Jail NBC News Retrieved September 8 2015 a b Peralta Eyder September 8 2015 Just Before Big Rally Kim Davis Is Released From Jail NPR Retrieved September 8 2015 a b Volokh Eugene September 8 2015 Kim Davis released from jail plus more on her requested accommodation The Washington Post Retrieved September 8 2015 a b c Beam Adam September 9 2015 Deputy to Kim Davis promises to continue issuing marriage licenses in Rowan County Lexington Herald Leader Lexington Kentucky Archived from the original on May 7 2016 Retrieved September 10 2015 Deputy Ky clerk says he won t follow boss defiance CBS News September 9 2015 Retrieved September 9 2015 Ellis Ronnie September 9 2015 Deputy clerk promises to keep federal court order The Morehead News Morehead Kentucky Retrieved September 11 2015 Estep Bill September 8 2015 Marriage licenses issued since Friday in Rowan County were altered to remove Kim Davis name Lexington Herald Leader Lexington Kentucky Archived from the original on April 20 2016 Retrieved September 12 2015 Menville Shayla September 9 2015 Davis Supporters Call for Removal of Deputy Clerks The Morehead News Morehead Kentucky Archived from the original on July 11 2019 Retrieved September 11 2015 Staff September 11 2015 Kim Davis Defiant Kentucky Clerk s Supporters Want Deputy Clerks Fired Over Marriage Licences Issued to Gays The Morehead News Morehead Kentucky Retrieved September 11 2015 Lowenberg Olivia September 12 2015 Oath Keepers offer Kim Davis a security detail Who are they The Christian Science Monitor Retrieved September 12 2016 Staff September 12 2015 Kentucky clerk rejects offer for armed militia protection against further detention Chicago Tribune Retrieved September 12 2016 Neuman Scott September 14 2015 Kim Davis Back at Work But Remains Defiant NPR Retrieved September 14 2015 a b c d Mosendz Polly September 24 2015 How Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis Altered Marriage Licenses Newsweek Retrieved December 27 2015 Cheves John November 16 2015 Marriage licenses altered by Kim Davis are valid Beshear tells judge Lexington Herald Leader Lexington Kentucky Archived from the original on March 4 2016 Retrieved December 27 2015 Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis Obeying Orders in Gay Marriage Case Judges Rules NBC News February 10 2016 Retrieved April 8 2016 Ellis Ronnie September 14 2015 Davis put to test early couple given license The Morehead News Morehead Kentucky Retrieved September 14 2015 Castillo Mariano Conlon Kevin September 14 2015 Kim Davis stands ground but same sex couple get marriage license CNN Retrieved September 14 2015 Gutierrez Gabe McClam Erin September 14 2015 Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis Says She Won t Stop Deputies on Marriage Licenses NBC News Retrieved September 14 2015 Wolfson Andrew September 2 2015 U S Attorney says Kim Davis should comply The Courier Journal Louisville Kentucky Retrieved October 3 2015 a b Williams Pete September 3 2015 Does Kim Davis Kentucky Clerk Blocking Gay Marriages Have Legal Grounds NBC News Retrieved September 4 2015 Wolfson Andrew September 2 2015 U S Attorney says Kim Davis should comply The Courier Journal Louisville Kentucky Retrieved September 3 2015 Rose Jeanne September 8 2015 Kim Davis Released from Jail Gazette Review Minneapolis Minnesota Retrieved October 5 2015 a b Wolfson Andrew October 2 2015 Locals condemn praise Davis visit with pope The Courier Journal Louisville Kentucky Retrieved October 5 2015 Bellamy Lana September 5 2015 Hundreds pray for Davis at Carter jail Richmond Register Richmond Kentucky Retrieved October 5 2015 Judge dismisses civil suits against Kim Davis USA Today August 20 2016 Retrieved June 3 2017 Kentucky clerk opposed to gay marriage says state law negates appeal Reuters June 21 2016 Retrieved June 3 2017 Gajanan Mahita September 3 2015 Tennessee judge denies straight couple divorce citing gay marriage ruling The Guardian Retrieved June 3 2017 Law Professor Davis Can t Evoke Religion To Deny Marriage Licenses NPR September 1 2015 Retrieved September 7 2015 Rubin Jennifer September 4 2015 Trashing the rule of law The Washington Post Retrieved September 4 2015 Graham Renee September 3 2015 Kim Davis follows the footsteps of George Wallace Boston Globe Retrieved September 4 2015 McGurn William September 7 2015 Why Must Kim Davis Be Jailed A federal judge chose the nuclear option instead of finding a reasonable accommodation The Wall Street Journal Retrieved September 9 2015 Nothstine Ray September 4 2015 Will More Clerks Be Going to Jail 2nd Christian Kentucky Clerk Defies Ruling to Issue Marriage Licenses to Gay Couples The Christian Post Retrieved September 9 2015 Volokh Eugene September 4 2015 When does your religion legally excuse you from doing part of your job The Washington Post Retrieved September 12 2015 Staff September 2 2015 Senate President Stivers files amicus brief in Rowan County clerk case Louisville Kentucky WHAS TV Retrieved September 7 2015 Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis Jailed for Her Conscience Liberty Counsel September 3 2015 Archived from the original on September 4 2015 Retrieved September 3 2015 Meyer Ken September 3 2015 Josh Earnest Responds to KY Clerk s Jailing No Public Official Is Above the Rule of Law Mediaite Retrieved September 7 2015 Loftus Tom September 3 2015 Beshear Decision on Kim Davis speaks for itself The Courier Journal Louisville Kentucky Retrieved October 3 2015 Peralta Eyder September 1 2015 Despite High Court Ruling Kentucky Clerk Denies Marriage Licenses NPR Retrieved September 7 2015 Staff September 2 2015 Beshear Kim Davis future in courts hands I have no legal authority to remove her from office Northern Kentucky Tribune Edgewood Kentucky Retrieved September 7 2015 Staff October 1 2015 Beshear Kim Davis s legal arguments absurd The Courier Journal Louisville Kentucky Retrieved October 3 2015 Byrnes Jesse September 3 2015 Clinton Officials should uphold the law The Hill Retrieved September 7 2015 a b Gehrke Joel September 4 2015 Jeb Bush Kim Davis Is Sworn to Uphold the Law National Review Retrieved September 7 2015 Sherfinski David September 4 2015 Donald Trump on Kim Davis case The Supreme Court has ruled The Hill Retrieved September 7 2015 Sherfinski David September 7 2015 Donald Trump on Kentucky clerk Same sex marriage the law of the land CNN Retrieved September 7 2015 a b Israel Josh September 3 2015 Only 2 Republican Candidates Think Kim Davis Needs To Quit Or Follow The Law ThinkProgress Archived from the original on September 5 2015 Retrieved September 7 2015 Sneed Tierney September 3 2015 Ted Cruz I Stand With Kim Davis Talking Points Memo Retrieved September 4 2015 Byrnes Jesse September 3 2015 GOP candidates blast absurd jailing of Kentucky marriage clerk The Hill Retrieved September 7 2015 Staff September 3 2015 Matt Bevin Responds to Kim Davis Arrest WTVQ DT Lexington Kentucky Retrieved September 7 2015 Staff September 3 2015 Matt Bevin calls on Governor Steve Beshear to uphold Kentuckians individual liberties Bowling Green Kentucky WBKO Archived from the original on September 25 2015 Retrieved September 7 2015 a b Moore Peter September 9 2015 Majority of public back jailing Kim Davis YouGov Retrieved September 10 2015 via Amazon CloudFront a b 1000 Adult Interviews PDF YouGov September 9 2015 Retrieved September 10 2015 via Amazon CloudFront a b c Gutierrez Gabe September 9 2015 Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis Isn t Kentucky s Only Gay Marriage Holdout NBC News Retrieved September 19 2015 Phillips Ryan October 9 2015 Alabama probate judge says federal government should issue same sex marriage licenses Birmingham Business Journal Birmingham Alabama Retrieved October 9 2015 Camerota Alisyn September 1 2015 Kentucky clerk There is a power above man s laws CNN Retrieved September 19 2015 a b Bowman Brad September 2 2015 Defiant county clerks standing ground on gay marriage issue The State Journal Frankfort Kentucky Retrieved September 19 2015 Wong Curtis M May 22 2016 Kim Davis Gay Couples Tried to Make Me Eat SCOTUS Ruling for Dinner HuffPost Retrieved May 22 2016 a b c d Wolfson Andrew September 2 2015 Q amp A Why hasn t Ky clerk been fired in gay marriage license case USA Today Retrieved September 3 2015 a b Staff August 31 2015 Misconduct charge against Davis referred to AG Richmond Register Richmond Kentucky Retrieved August 31 2015 Thornton Hillary August 29 2015 Official misconduct charge against Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis referred to attorney general Lexington Kentucky WKYT TV Retrieved August 28 2015 Staff August 28 2015 Rowan County Atty s Office Refers Charge of Official Misconduct Lexington Kentucky WLEX TV Archived from the original on August 30 2015 Retrieved August 28 2015 Wolfson Andrew Wynn Mike August 31 2015 Rowan clerk Kim Davis loses Supreme Court fight The Courier Journal Louisville Kentucky Retrieved September 6 2015 Sanburn Josh September 1 2015 What s Next for the Kentucky Clerk Who Won t Issue Gay Marriage Licenses Time Retrieved September 1 2015 Conway Jack September 3 2015 Statement from Attorney General Conway The State of Kentucky Retrieved September 6 2015 Wolfson Andrew September 10 2015 Conway No special prosecutor for Kim Davis The Courier Journal Louisville Kentucky Retrieved September 11 2015 Staff November 4 2015 Kim Davis Heads Back To Court HuffPost Retrieved November 6 2015 Staff November 5 2015 Kentucky Defiant Clerk Loses Again The New York Times Associated Press Retrieved November 6 2015 Connolly Amy R November 6 2015 Kentucky clerk Kim Davis loses latest gay marriage appeal United Press International Retrieved November 26 2015 Kentucky clerk Kim Davis loses latest gay marriage appeal Associated Press November 5 2015 Retrieved November 26 2015 a b c d e Cheves John July 5 2016 Kim Davis violated Open Records Act attorney general says Lexington Herald Leader Lexington Kentucky Archived from the original on July 6 2016 Retrieved September 15 2016 a b c d Watkins Morgan July 6 2016 AG opinion Kim Davis violated Open Records Act The Courier Journal Louisville Kentucky Retrieved September 15 2016 Michelle Mark November 6 2015 Amid Kim Davis Backlash Kentucky Gov Elect Matt Bevin To Remove Clerks Names From State Marriage Licenses International Business Times Retrieved December 28 2015 Bittenbender Steve December 23 2015 Kentucky Governor Gives Kim Davis a Wonderful Christmas Gift Charisma Retrieved December 28 2015 Staff June 21 2016 Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis requests marriage license appeals be dismissed Lexington Kentucky WKYT TV Retrieved May 7 2016 Loftus Tom August 20 2016 Judge dismisses civil suits against Kim Davis USA Today Retrieved October 2 2016 Staff August 19 2016 Victory at Last Kim Davis Has Won the Fight for Religious Freedom Charisma Retrieved October 2 2016 Provenzano Brianna August 20 2016 All 3 lawsuits against Kim Davis were just dismissed by a federal judge Mic Retrieved October 2 2016 Farias Cristian June 21 2016 Kim Davis Wants The Law To Forget That Time She Defied The Supreme Court on Gay Marriage HuffPost Retrieved October 2 2016 Cheves John November 2 2016 Couples who sued Kim Davis to get married now want to hand her the bill Lexington Herald Leader Lexington Kentucky Archived from the original on November 3 2016 Retrieved November 5 2016 Same sex couple can seek damages from Kentucky clerk U S appeals court Reuters May 2 2017 Held Amy July 21 2017 Kentucky Must Pay Attorney Fees For Couples Who Sued Kim Davis Judge Says NPR Retrieved July 21 2017 Ring Trudy September 20 2016 ACLU Sues Kim Davis and Her County for 233K in Legal Fees The Advocate Retrieved September 25 2016 Patterson Fadia September 20 2016 ACLU Lawyers Sue Kim Davis Over Legal Fees WTVQ DT Lexington Kentucky Retrieved September 25 2016 D Angelo Chris March 7 2017 Judge Denies ACLU s Motion To Recoup Legal Fees From Marriage Equality Battle HuffPost Retrieved May 20 2017 Ermold v Davis No 16 6412 6th Cir 2017 Retrieved June 3 2017 Zaimov Stoyan July 7 2016 Kim Davis Facing Lawsuit for Denying a Man a License to Marry His Laptop Computer The Christian Post Washington D C Retrieved September 27 2017 Kim Davis sued for denying man license to marry his laptop Lexington Kentucky WKYT TV July 5 2017 Retrieved September 27 2017 Florida judge won t let man marry porn filled computer Orlando Sentinel Orlando Florida Retrieved September 27 2017 Beam Adam January 30 2019 Gov Bevin Kentucky clerk at odds over attorneys fees Associated Press Retrieved February 6 2019 Miller v Davis American Civil Liberties Union Wolfson Andrew Taxpayers on hook for Kentucky clerk Kim Davis fight against gay marriage The Courier Journal Held Amy July 21 2017 Kentucky Must Pay Attorney Fees For Couples Who Sued Kim Davis Judge Says NPR NPR Wolfson Andrew Matt Bevin praised Kim Davis but now his lawyers want her to pay up The Courier Journal Bailey Phillip M Kim Davis gets Matt Bevin s absolute backing The Courier Journal Cheves John August 23 2019 Kentucky must pay 225 000 legal bill from Kim Davis case appeals court says Lexington Herald Leader Retrieved August 26 2019 Mattise Jonathan March 18 2022 Judge Same sex marriage license denials violated rights Associated Press Retrieved March 19 2022 Pope Francis meets with Kim Davis enters culture war CNN October 1 2015 Retrieved February 19 2016 Kim Davis speaks out on meeting Pope Francis CBS News September 30 2015 Retrieved February 19 2016 Goodstein Laurie September 30 2015 Kim Davis Kentucky County Clerk Met Pope Francis The New York Times Retrieved September 30 2015 Eversley Melanie Bacon John September 30 2015 Vatican confirms pope met with Kim Davis USA Today Retrieved September 30 2015 Chappell Bill September 30 2015 Kim Davis And Pope Francis Had A Private Meeting in D C NPR Retrieved September 30 2015 Green Emma September 30 2015 Why Did Pope Francis Meet With Kim Davis the Gay Marriage Protesting Clerk From Kentucky The Atlantic Retrieved September 30 2015 Allen Jr John L September 30 2015 What it means that Pope Francis met Kim Davis Crux Retrieved November 26 2015 Payne Ed Burke Daniel October 2 2015 Pope s meeting with Kim Davis not an endorsement Vatican says CNN Retrieved October 2 2015 Boorstein Michelle October 2 2015 Why no one wants to talk about how the Pope Francis Kim Davis meeting was arranged The Washington Post Retrieved October 2 2015 a b Yardley Jim Goodstein Laurie October 2 2015 Pope Francis Meeting Wasn t an Endorsement of Kim Davis s Views Vatican Says The New York Times Retrieved October 2 2015 Holy See Press Office issues statement on Pope s meeting with Kim Davis Holy See Press Office October 2 2015 Retrieved November 7 2015 Kington Tom October 2 2015 The truth about the Kim Davis Pope Francis meeting according to the Vatican Los Angeles Times Retrieved October 2 2015 Burke Daniel October 2 2015 Pope held private meeting with same sex couple in U S CNN Retrieved October 2 2015 Green Emma October 2 2015 Before Kim Davis the Pope Hung Out With a Gay Couple The Atlantic Retrieved October 2 2015 Archbishop at Center of Mystery of Papal Meeting With Kim Davis The New York Times October 2 2015 Retrieved May 8 2016 EXCLUSIVE Kim Davis Recounts Secret Meeting With Pope Francis ABC News September 30 2015 and What Pope Francis Thought of the United States by Elizabeth Dias Time September 28 2015 Kentucky Clerk Opposed to Gay Marriage to Run for 2018 Re Election NBC News Reuters November 9 2017 Retrieved November 11 2017 2018 Primary Election Candidate Filings PDF Kim Davis County Clerk Rowan County Kentucky March 1 2018 Retrieved May 22 2018 Beam Adam Lovan Dylan May 22 2018 Gay Kentucky man loses bid to challenge Rowan County clerk Kim Davis The Courier Journal Louisville Kentucky Retrieved November 8 2018 Brammer John Paul December 6 2017 Kim Davis turned him away Now he s running to unseat her NBC News Retrieved December 6 2017 Staff December 6 2017 Man denied marriage license by Kim Davis announces campaign to replace her Lexington Kentucky WKYT TV Retrieved December 7 2017 Wright Will November 6 2018 Kim Davis clerk who refused to sign marriage licenses for gay couples loses to Democrat Lexington Herald Leader Lexington Kentucky Retrieved November 8 2018 Gstalter Morgan November 6 2018 Anti gay marriage country clerk Kim Davis loses reelection in Kentucky The Hill Retrieved November 8 2018 Mack David September 1 2015 Meet Kim Davis the Woman Denying Same Sex Couples Marriage Licenses in Kentucky BuzzFeed Retrieved September 3 2015 Kentucky clerks to license marriages as their boss is jailed Boston Herald Associated Press September 3 2015 Miller Emily September 9 2015 What Kim Davis s Apostolic Christian Church Is All About HuffPost Retrieved June 23 2016 Kaplan Sarah Higdon James September 2 2015 The defiant Kim Davis the Ky clerk who refuses to issue gay marriage licenses The Washington Post Retrieved September 15 2016 Blackford Linda B July 20 2015 Rowan Clerk Testifies She Prayed and Fasted Over Decision to Deny Marriage Licenses Lexington Herald Leader Lexington Kentucky Archived from the original on May 7 2016 Retrieved September 1 2015 a b c Miller Emily McFarlan September 9 2015 What s an Apostolic Christian and why is Kim Davis hair so long USA Today Retrieved September 10 2015 a b Smith Samuel January 12 2016 Kim Davis Talks End Times Pope Francis SOTU and Religious Freedom Interview The Christian Post Retrieved January 26 2016 Vultaggio Maria September 3 2015 Sit Next To Kim Davis Parody Twitter Account Takes Off Pokes Fun At Hypocritical Kentucky Clerk International Business Times Retrieved October 2 2015 Lavers Michael K September 9 2015 Calif man creates Twitter account mocking Kim Davis Washington Blade Retrieved November 15 2015 DiFurio Dom September 30 2015 How this Kim Davis parody account became a force for LGBT rights The Dallas Morning News Retrieved October 2 2015 Mullins Jenna September 2 2015 Parks and Rec Mashup Starring Anti Gay Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis Says What Everyone Is Thinking E News Retrieved October 2 2015 Ermac Raffy September 2 2015 Funny or Die Spoofs Kim Davis With Clerks and Recreation The Advocate Retrieved October 2 2015 Ring Trudy October 2 2015 Funny or Die on How Kim Davis Met the Pope The Advocate Retrieved October 2 2015 Browning Bil September 29 2015 Kim Davis Is the Very Model of a Modern Fundamentalist The Advocate Retrieved October 2 2015 Garner Glenn October 5 2015 ICYMI SNL Mocks Kim Davis and Martin Shkreli Out Retrieved October 20 2015 Rawles Timothy October 5 2015 SNL remembers the viral celebrities of 2015 in funny season opener San Diego Gay and Lesbian News Retrieved October 20 2015 Rowley Liz November 12 2015 In One Quote Jennifer Lawrence Sums Up Why She ll Never Be a Republican Mic Retrieved November 15 2015 Kumar Anugrah Jennifer Lawrence Embarrassed to Be From Kentucky Because of Kim Davis The Christian Post Retrieved November 15 2015 Van Meter Jonathan November 11 2015 Jennifer Lawrence Is Determined Hilarious and Above All Real Vogue Retrieved November 15 2015 a b c d e Kim Davis part 1 by Robert Sammons Rowan County Marriage Equality amp Religious Liberty Project Morehead State University Audio amp Video History Collection Fall 2015 pages 11 12 pages 12 13 of the pdf Primary Election Rowan County Recapitulation Sheet PDF Rowan County Clerk May 20 2014 p 4 Retrieved September 3 2015 2014 General Election Rowan County Clerk November 4 2014 Retrieved November 4 2014 Gay Kentucky man loses bid to challenge Rowan County clerk Kim Davis Courier Journal 2018 Retrieved April 6 2020 2018 General Election Rowan County Kentucky State Board of Elections Alison Lundergan Grimes Chair November 6 2018 Retrieved November 11 2018 External links EditVideo documenting Kim Davis s refusal to issue a marriage license under God s authority Rowan County clerk s website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Kim Davis amp oldid 1144199415, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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