Legal Paperwork

2015 was a big year for the same-sex world. Same-sex marriage was legalized nationwide in the United States of America, thanks to a Supreme Court ruling in June. Since then, there have been many battles within the states between those who want to get married to their  partner and those who claim same-sex marriage is against their religion. While these stories have been somewhat common throughout the country, no story was more closely followed than the Kim Davis story. The real question being, did Kim Davis win after all?

Kentucky County Clerk

Kim Davis is a clerk in Rowan County, Kentucky. When the Supreme Court made its ruling, Davis refused to issue another marriage certificate to either same-sex couples or heterosexual couples. She felt the ruling interfered with her religion, and she couldn’t in good conscience issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple. However, she stopped issuing the marriage licenses to heterosexual couples as well so she couldn’t be accused of discrimination. When a same-sex couple came in asking to get their marriage license, they were refused. Davis was eventually sued by four couples (two homosexual couples and two heterosexual couples) after they were unsuccessful in obtaining their marriage licenses. This led to a story that eventually became international news:

• County clerks asked for a special session regarding this situation. However, former Governor Steve Beshears refused, partly because of the amount of money it would require.
• Davis was ordered by a judge to begin issuing licenses immediately.
• She continued to refuse while her attorney filed a stay, which was denied by the appeals court.
• Davis’ attorney asked the Supreme Court to intervene, but it refused.
• Davis was eventually held in contempt of court and spent five days in jail.

After Davis was released from jail, she was told she was being let out on the condition that she not interfere with the issuance of marriage licenses.

Why Didn’t She Resign?

Many asked why Davis simply didn’t resign, since she could clearly no longer properly do her job as the county clerk. However, she said that she didn’t want to resign because that would make her lose her voice. She didn’t want it to appear that she was giving up when she felt she was just standing up for what she believed in. Others thought she could be fired, but since she was elected into the position, she would have to be impeached. An impeachment would require a special session, but it was not called because that would require a lot of taxpayer money, and with all of the support Davis had in Kentucky, it was not likely an impeachment would be successful.

Altered Licenses

Once Davis was released from jail, she followed the judge’s order to not interfere with marriage licenses being issued; however, the licenses were altered to remove the county clerks’ names from the licenses. Some were concerned with the legitimacy of the licenses; however, the governor said all licenses would be considered valid. Still, there were many who were uncomfortable with the new version of marriage licenses.

Did Kim Davis Win After All?

Now, a new governor has been sworn in for the state of Kentucky, and he has helped protect the religious freedoms of the county clerks. Matt Bevin issued an executive order that removed the county clerks’ names from the marriage licenses. He felt this protected the religious freedoms while still making it easy for same-sex couples to get married. Many would consider this to be a victory for Davis, who never gave up on what she believed in. Even though most of the country disagrees with what she stood for, most would admit it was impressive seeing her not back down. It would appear that for Davis, this has paid off. Davis doesn’t have to be affiliated with same-sex marriage licenses, and homosexual couples can get their marriage licenses without issue.