Standard News

Hide Advertisement
  • Business
  • Culture
  • News
  • Technology
  • Trending
Site logo
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Kentucky clerk opposed to gay marriage says state law negates appeal

By Reuters 2 min read
Advertisement - Continue reading below
Kentucky's Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis makes remarks after receiving the "Cost of Discipleship" award at a Family Research Council conference in Washington

(Reuters) – The Kentucky clerk who was jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples asked a federal appeals court on Tuesday to dismiss her appeal because the state’s new law to remove clerks’ names from licenses made her action unnecessary.

Attorneys for Rowan County clerk Kim Davis filed a motion with the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals asking for the dismissal since the state’s new law will go into effect two weeks before the case was due for oral arguments.

Advertisement

Last summer, Davis refused to issue licenses to gay couples after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage, drawing international attention and triggering demonstrations and legal actions.

Davis cited as grounds for her actions her Apostolic Christian beliefs defining marriage as a union reserved for heterosexual couples. Even though county clerks do not perform marriage ceremonies in Kentucky, she argued that her name on the document equaled approval.

Four couples sued Davis in federal court for her refusal to do her job, and a U.S. District Court judge ruled that she was in contempt of court and jailed her for five days. After being released, Davis would not allow her name to appear on marriage licenses, requiring her deputies to use the title notary public on the form.

The new law, signed by Republican Gov. Matt Bevin in April, “expressly modifies the Kentucky marriage licensing scheme to remove entirely a county clerk’s name, personal identifiers, and authorization from any license, thereby providing through a change in the law the very religious accommodation Davis sought from the beginning of this litigation,” according to the Tuesday filing.

Davis’s attorneys also asked the appeals court to vacate the district court’s orders, saying the contempt decree should not have issued.

“I am pleased that I can continue to serve my community as the Rowan County Clerk without having to sacrifice my religious convictions and conscience,” Davis said in a statement.

Mat Staver, chairman of Liberty Counsel, which represents Kim Davis, said in the statement that the law offered the relief that Davis had sought from the beginning.

(Reporting by Ben Klayman in Detroit; Editing by Toni Reinhold)

tagreuters.com2016binary_LYNXNPEC5K1B1-VIEWIMAGE

Advertisement - Continue reading below

Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse, animation trove up for auction
Entertainment
Reuters 2 min read

Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse, animation trove up for auction

Damon gave up acting role in ‘Manchester by the Sea’ due to schedule
Entertainment
Reuters 2 min read

Damon gave up acting role in ‘Manchester by the Sea’ due to schedule

NASA’s Juno Probe Captured These Never-Before-Seen Images of Jupiter
Culture
Brian Delpozo 1 min read

NASA’s Juno Probe Captured These Never-Before-Seen Images of Jupiter

Mayfly Invasion Forces Drivers To Abandon Cars, Causes Accidents
Trending
Danielle 2 min read

Mayfly Invasion Forces Drivers To Abandon Cars, Causes Accidents

Charges dropped against anti-abortion activists for Texas video
News
Reuters 2 min read

Charges dropped against anti-abortion activists for Texas video

Canada celebrates, mourns as rockers Tragically Hip say good-bye
Entertainment
Reuters 2 min read

Canada celebrates, mourns as rockers Tragically Hip say good-bye

WATCH: Former President Barack Obama, Prince Harry Joke Before Radio Interview
Culture
Brad Kallet 2 min read

WATCH: Former President Barack Obama, Prince Harry Joke Before Radio Interview

The Devil’s Gate in Pasadena; Is it a Portal to Hell?
Trending
David Clarke 3 min read

The Devil’s Gate in Pasadena; Is it a Portal to Hell?

Deal struck for New Jersey gasoline tax increase to fund road projects
News
Reuters 2 min read

Deal struck for New Jersey gasoline tax increase to fund road projects

Clinton Foundation health project still mulling foreign donations
News
Reuters 3 min read

Clinton Foundation health project still mulling foreign donations

load more Loading posts...

sidebar

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

sidebar-alt

  • About Us
  • Imprint
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • For Advertisers