Overview
- In a brief order with no noted dissents, the justices declined to hear Davis’s case, signaling she failed to secure the four votes needed for review.
- The Sixth Circuit’s decision stands, upholding $100,000 in damages and about $260,000 in attorneys’ fees and finding Davis’s license denials were state action not protected by the First Amendment.
- Davis had asked the court to both recognize a free-exercise defense to her liability and overrule the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision.
- The denial leaves nationwide marriage equality unchanged for now, with the 2022 Respect for Marriage Act providing a federal recognition backstop.
- Liberty Counsel vowed to keep pressing challenges, as LGBTQ advocates welcomed the outcome as reassurance even as they urged continued vigilance.