Court upholds ruling against Kim Davis in same-sex marriage case

The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has denied former Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis's appeal against a ruling that upheld her liability for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2015, following the Obergefell v. Hodges decision. The court ruled that her claims of qualified immunity and First Amendment protections were without merit, affirming a jury's decision that awarded damages to a couple she denied licenses to. Davis, who gained notoriety for her refusal and was briefly jailed for her actions, argued that her Christian beliefs justified her refusal, but the court stated that personal beliefs cannot override constitutional rights. The verdict requires Davis to pay $100,000 in damages to the couple, along with additional legal fees totaling over $350,000. Despite her continued claims of victimization and calls from her attorneys to overturn the Obergefell ruling, the court emphasized the primacy of constitutional rights over individual conscience in public office. Davis's case highlights ongoing tensions between religious beliefs and LGBTQ+ rights in the United States.