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Supreme Court Weighs Whether to Hear Kim Davis Case Seeking Revisit of Same-Sex Marriage Ruling

The petition targets the Obergefell ruling, with legal experts calling it a narrow damages dispute unlikely to carry sweeping review.

Overview

  • The justices meet in a closed-door conference Friday to decide whether to grant certiorari, with a public order possible as soon as Monday.
  • Former Rowan County clerk Kim Davis asks the Court to both review a Sixth Circuit ruling against her and reconsider Obergefell v. Hodges.
  • Davis refused marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2015, was jailed for contempt after defying court orders, and later faced damages and legal-fee awards.
  • The Sixth Circuit rejected her First Amendment and qualified-immunity arguments, holding those defenses do not shield her in her official role.
  • If review is denied, lower-court judgments stand; if granted, the case proceeds to briefing and argument, and the Respect for Marriage Act would still ensure interstate recognition even though it would not require states to issue licenses if Obergefell fell.