Judge Rules Kim Davis Violated Constitutional Rights Of Gay Couples

Nearly seven years later, a federal judge in Kentucky has ruled that former Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis violated the constitutional rights of two same-sex couples when she denied them marriage licenses during the summer of 2015.

The former Rowan County Clerk spent time in jail for contempt of court for refusing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. https://t.co/kxVYlC4DaW

— WKYT (@WKYT) March 18, 2022

You may recall that, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic Obergefell v. Hodges ruling in 2015 which made same-sex marriage legal across the country, Davis repeatedly refused to issue marriage licenses to the two couples. When asked under what authority she denied the licenses, she responded “under God’s authority.” The licenses were eventually issued by a deputy clerk while Davis spent five days in jail for contempt of court. From WKYT:

In an order published Friday afternoon, United States District Judge David L. Bunning of the Eastern District of Kentucky granted summary judgment in a civil lawsuit that the two couples, David Ermold and David Moore, and James Yates and Will Smith, filed against Davis.

That settles – without a trial – the question of whether Davis violated their constitutional rights, but no decision has been made yet on whether Davis will be on the hook for the likely hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees accrued over the six-and-a-half years of litigation.

Bunning denied Davis’s request for summary judgment on the question of damages, meaning that decision will still go to trial and ultimately be left up to a jury.

The two couples have requested Davis pay compensatory and punitive damages, plus attorneys’ fees and other costs.

NEW: A federal judge has ruled in favor of two same-sex couples who claimed former Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis violated their constitutional rights. https://t.co/wb5vExZQuY

— LEX 18 News (@LEX18News) March 18, 2022