Despite a ruling from a federal judge yesterday, staffers in the office of Rowan County, Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis turned away requests for marriage licenses from two gay couples this morning. You may recall that Davis became a viral video star when a clip of her degrading a gay couple in her office when they came in to get married hit the internet in July.
Towleroad reported yesterday on the ruling against the Kentucky County Clerk:
U.S. District Judge David Bunning has ruled that Davis must comply with the Supreme Court’s decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide and that her personal religious beliefs do not supersede her oath of office. Bunning’s ruling was in response to a lawsuit brought against Davis by two Rowan County couples, one gay and one straight. Bunning found that couples should not be forced to travel to another county to accommodate Davis’ beliefs.
Davis is currently on vacation. But her staffers turned away two gay couples this morning, the AP reports:
A Kentucky clerk’s office has turned away two gay couples seeking marriage licenses, defying a federal judge’s order that dismissed her argument involving religious freedom. Hours after the judge’s order to issue licenses to same-sex couples, Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis’ office still turned away the two couples, one after the other, on Thursday morning.
RELATED: Watch This Gay Couple Get Degraded and Denied a Marriage License in Kentucky: VIDEO
The AP adds:
Kentucky law allows judge executives to issues marriage licenses if the clerk is absent. So, the couple marched to Rowan County Judge Executive Walter Blevins’ office. But he explained that his office isn’t equipped to issue licenses. He also said that because deputy clerks are at work and empowered to issue license, he wasn’t sure his signature would be valid.
Blevins apologized to the couple.
Davis has filed a suit against Kentucky governor Steve Beshear whom she alleges violated her religious freedom by insisting she issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
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