Federal judge sides with two Kentucky same-sex couples, ruling that county clerk Kim Davis violated their constitutional rights
ROWAN COUNTY, Ky. — A federal judge has ruled in favor of two same-sex couples who claimed a former county clerk in Kentucky violated their constitutional rights.
The ruling settles whether their constitutional rights were violated without going to trial. It's unclear, though, if Davis will be held liable for the thousands of dollars in legal fees that accrued since 2015. Shortly after the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court ruling granted same-sex couples the right to marry nationwide, Davis stopped issuing all marriage licenses due to her religious beliefs. That led to lawsuits against her, and a judge ordered Davis to issue the licenses. She spent five days in jail for being found in contempt of court after refusing to do so.
The court said her decision not to issue marriage licenses"further illustrates that she knowingly violated the law." The ruling also states"Davis 'chose to stand for what [she] believe[s] in over what was contrary to that'—the law."