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Kimberly B. "Kim" Davis (born 1966) is a Rowan County, Kentucky clerk noted for defying a US Federal Court ruling requiring that she issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples following the Obergefell v. Hodges US Supreme Court case that legalized same-sex marriage in the United States. Davis filed an emergency application with the Supreme Court seeking to put the lower court's order on hold while she seeks an appeal. The Supreme Court denied the application.

Prior to being elected Rowan County Clerk in November 2014, defeating Republican John Cox, Davis spent twenty-seven years as Deputy Clerk under long-time incumbent Jean Bailey.

Background

On June 26, 2015 the US Supreme Court made a landmark ruling in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. ___ (2015), in which the Court held in a 5–4 decision 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 United States Constitution.

Following the ruling, eighteen counties, all in Alabama, Kentucky, and Texas, continued to not issue licenses to same-sex couples. Eleven in Alabama, and Rowan County, Kentucky decided to stop issuing marriage licenses altogether rather than supply them to same-sex couples. In August 2015, Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis refused, on grounds of religion, to follow a court order requiring her to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky and The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled that she must issue the licenses. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the matter.

Personal life

Davis lives in Morehead, Kentucky with her husband, Joe. She describes herself as an Apostolic Christian and attends church services three times a week.

References

1. Blinder, Alan and Perez-Pena, Richard (September 1, 2015). "Kentucky Clerk Denies Same-Sex Marriage Licenses, Defying Court". New York Times. Retrieved September 1, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
2. Bobic, Igor (September 1, 2015). "Kentucky Clerk Refuses To Issue Marriage License To Gay Couples In Heated Exchange". Huffington Post. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
3. Higdon, Jim; Larimer, Sarah; and Somashekhar, Sandhya (September 1, 2015). "Kentucky clerk ordered to court after refusing to issue gay-marriage licenses". Washington Post. Retrieved September 1, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
4. Wynn, Mike and Wolfson, Andrew (September 1, 2015). "Gay couples ask judge to hold clerk in contempt". USA Today. Retrieved September 1, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
5. de Vogue, Ariane and Diamond, Jeremy (September 1, 2015). "ACLU wants Kentucky clerk in contempt of court over denying gay marriage licenses". CNN. Retrieved September 1, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
6. Menville, Shayla (October 17, 2014). "County clerk's race more contested than usual". The Morehead News. Retrieved September 1, 2015. {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
7. Obergefell v. Hodges, No. 14-556, slip op. at 22 (U.S. June 26, 2015) ("The Court now holds that same-sex couples may exercise the fundamental right to marry.").
8. Denniston, Lyle. "Opinion analysis: Marriage now open to same-sex couples". SCOTUSblog. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
9. Chamberland, Michele (August 22, 2015). "Thousands Rally for Clerks Denying Gay Marriage Licenses". WKYT . Retrieved August 31, 2015.
10. "Local Government Responses to Obergefell v. Hodges". Ballotpedia. August 21, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
11. "Kentucky Clerk Denies Same-Sex Marriage Licenses, Defying Court". New York Times. September 1, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
12. Blackford, Linda B. (July 20, 2015). "Rowan Clerk Testifies She 'Prayed and Fasted' Over Decision to Deny Marriage Licenses". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved September 1, 2015.

External links

• Video showing Davis refusing to issue a marriage license to Same-sex couples
• Written statement from Kim Davis

• People from Rowan County, Kentucky
• County clerks in Kentucky