Kentucky county clerk who has refused to issue marriage licenses due to religious conviction since the Supreme Court ruling in June that legalized same-sex marriage is asking the Supreme Court to grant her permission to continue denying same-sex marriage licenses.
The American CIvil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit on July 2 against Kim Davis-- who had been the county clerk in Rowan, Kentucky for 27 years-- on behalf of two straight couples and two same-sex couples who had been refused marriage licenses by Davis.
Earlier in August, U.S. District Court Judge David Bunnings ruled that Davis must fulfill her position as county clerk and issue marriage licenses despite her religious conviction. August 31 was the deadline for Davis to comply. Last week, an appeals court denied Davis an extension for the deadline.
Represented by Liberty Counsel, a Christian law firm, Davis filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court on Friday to delay the order to begin issuing licenses.
“Certainly, religious liberty objections, including the 1st Amendment and the state religious freedom act, are designed to protect a person from choosing between one’s lifelong career in a county clerk’s office and one’s conscience, or between punitive damages and one’s religious liberty,” the 40-page appeal said.
