Federal judge to Kim Davis—time to get back to work.
U.S. District Court Judge David Bunning has once again ordered Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis to begin immediately issuing marriage licenses—or else:
Embattled Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis has until the end of business Monday to comply with a federal judge's ruling to issue marriage licenses.
Just last week, Davis asked for a stay while her appeal is pending and a
federal judge denied the stay. Afterward, she refused to issue a marriage license to William Smith Jr. and James Yates for the third time. Judge Bunning's office is not commenting on what repercussion's Davis may face if she does not comply, but criminal charges are a possibility.
Many in the Kentucky government are looking at "remedies" as well:
As an elected official, Davis is difficult to fire. Friday’s request for misdemeanor official misconduct charges against her by the Attorney General begins a slow process that could only actually kick her out of office if the state legislature votes to impeach her. She has also risked contempt charges by continuing to refuse to issue licenses in defiance of a court order.
This weekend, news broke that Kim Davis had already (perhaps accidentally) issued a license to a
transgender man and his wife:
Camryn Colen, who is transgender, and his wife Alexis, who identifies as pan sexual, said Davis’ office provided the license on Feb. 26 without asking to see Camryn’s birth certificate, which still identifies him as female. The couple married that night.
“She saw just a straight couple in love, and she should see everybody like that,” Camryn said. “She shouldn’t just see straight couples like that.”
The couple allowed inspection of the license and Camryn’s birth certificate on Saturday. Their story was first reported by the Daily Independent in Ashland and The Trail Blazer, the student newspaper at Morehead State University.