The Governor of Kentucky has officially ordered a defiant county clerk to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples or resign his post. That clerk has now refused to do either, forcing a showdown.
Last week, Casey County Clerk Casey Davis publicly announced he would be refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, despite the Supreme Court’s decision banning states from doing exactly that. Davis even appeared on MSNBC’s “All In with Chris Hayes,” and delivered a stunningly obtuse interview during which he insisted that he not only has the legal right to refuse to do his job, citing his deeply held religious beliefs, but he believes the State of Kentucky should hire him an attorney to defend his position.
Davis has been milking the media attention and recently appeared before a handful of citizens supporting his “right” to discriminate on the taxpayers’ dime.Â
Earlier today, Casey Davis left a one-on-one meeting with the Governor of Kentucky, Democrat Steve Beshear, who ordered the county clerk to do his job, issue marriage licenses to all couples regardless of gender – or resign.
Davis says he is refusing to issue licenses to same-sex couples, and is refusing to resign.
“I’m going to trust the Lord with all my heart,” Davis, who also happens to be a pastor, told reporters when he explained he would not change his position, nor resign. Davis then appeared to quote the Bible, and added, “my position remains.”
Governor Beshear has just issued a statement on the meeting.
“This morning, I advised Mr. Davis that I respect his right to his own personal beliefs regarding same-sex marriages,” the Governor’s statement reads. “However, when he was elected, he took a constitutional oath to uphold the United States Constitution. According to the United States Supreme Court, the Constitution now requires that governmental officials in Kentucky and elsewhere must recognize same-sex marriages as valid and allow them to take place. One of Mr. Davis’ duties as county court clerk is to issue marriage licenses, and the Supreme Court now says that the United States Constitution requires those marriage licenses to be issued regardless of gender. Mr. Davis’ own county attorney has advised him that his oath requires him to do so.”
Davis and other county clerks in Kentucky who are unhappy with the Supreme Court ruling, including Kim Davis, who appeared in a viral YouTube video this week refusing a same-sex couple, are demanding the Governor open a special session of the state legislature so lawmakers can create special rights for them to not do their jobs, at the cost of “hundreds of thousands of dollars,” which Gov. Beshear also stated he would not do.
Davis has also asked that same-sex couples be allowed to obtain their marriage licenses online so he doesn’t have to deal with them.
Ultimately, Davis will have to be sued and a judge will have to decide the outcome. Meanwhile, the citizens of Kentucky are being held hostage by a religious extremist who believes he deserves special rights, and those should trump the constitutional rights confirmed by our nation’s highest court.
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Image: Screenshot via Kentucky.com/YouTube