Federal Judge Orders Kentucky Governor To Determine If Licenses Kim Davis Altered Are Valid

A federal judge wants to know if the altered marriage licenses issued by Kim Davis’ office are valid. If they’re not, will Davis be facing jail again?

U.S. District Judge David Bunning Wednesday evening ordered Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear to determine if the marriage licenses that Kim Davis altered and that her office has been issuing without her signature are valid. 

It is unknown how many couples, same-sex and different-sex, have been issued the altered documents from the Rowan County clerk’s office.

The ACLU of Kentucky, which represents four couples who have been suing Kim Davis, said the licenses are not valid under Kentucky law. Davis herself, and her Liberty Counsel attorneys, have said so too.

“They are not worth the paper they’re written on,” Liberty Counsel’s Mat Staver said.

Recently her lawyers switched positions, stating they believed now they are valid.

Last month, one of Davis’ deputy clerks, Brian Mason, the only clerk who is issuing licenses to same-sex couples, questioned the validity of the licenses, concerned he might be inadvertently not be acting in accordance with state law.

Beshear, as Louisville NPR news station WFPL reports, previously had said he is “confident and satisfied” the altered licenses “substantially comply with the law in Kentucky, and they’re going to be recognized as valid in the commonwealth.”

If it turns out the licenses are not valid, Davis, who altered them and was warned by Judge Bunning to not interfere in any way with the issuance of marriage licenses, might be headed back to jail.

Judge Bunning did not apparently request input from the State of Kentucky’s Attorney General or other state attorney, who in theory would be the more appropriate party to determine the legal issues surrounding the alteration of the licenses, and their required wording, which is regulated by state law. 

 

EARLIER:

Kim Davis’ Lawyers Respond To Plaintiff’s Demand She Reissue Marriage Licenses

A Kentucky Clerk Changes His Policy, Will Now Issue Marriage Licenses To Different-Sex Couples

Video: Hillary Clinton Says Kim Davis ‘Was Treated As She Should Have Been Treated’

 

Image by Mike Wynn via Twitter