Kim Davis (county clerk)
Kim Davis | |
|---|---|
| Clerk of Rowan County, Kentucky | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Jean W. Bailey |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 17, 1965 Morehead, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Dwain Allen Wallace (1984-1994)[1] Joe Davis (1996-2004, 2009-present) Thomas Dale McnIntyre Jr. (2007-2008) |
| Residence | Morehead, Kentucky |
Kimberly Jean Bailey Davis (born September 17, 1965) is a Rowan County, Kentucky, clerk who defied a U.S. Federal Court ruling requiring that she issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples following the Obergefell v. Hodges U.S. Supreme Court case that legalized same-sex marriage in the United States.[2][3][4][5] Davis filed an emergency application with the Supreme Court seeking to put the lower court's order on hold while she seeks an appeal. The Supreme Court denied the application.[6]
Career[edit]
Davis spent twenty-seven years as deputy clerk of Rowan County, Kentucky, under long-time incumbent Jean Bailey, who is also her mother. In 2014, Bailey opted not to run for reelection, and Davis ran as a Democrat. She defeated Republican John Cox in the November 2014 election.[7][8]
On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court made a landmark ruling in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. ___ (2015), in which the Court held in a 5–4 decision that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.[9][10]
Following the ruling, eighteen counties, all in Alabama, Kentucky, and Texas, continued to not issue licenses to same-sex couples. Eleven in Alabama, and Rowan County, Kentucky decided to stop issuing marriage licenses altogether rather than supply them to same-sex couples.[11][12] In August 2015, Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis refused, on grounds of religion, to follow a court order requiring her to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.[13] The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky and The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled that she must issue the licenses. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the matter, ordering Davis to follow the lower court's ruling. She again refused.
Personal life[edit]
Davis describes herself as an Apostolic Christian[4][14] and attends church services three times a week.[15] She experienced a "religious awakening" in 2011, following her mother-in-law's (Vondal Lee Bailey Davis)[16] "dying wish" that she attend church.[17] Davis has held Bible study for inmates of the Rowan County jail.[17]
Davis has been married four times. The first three marriages ended in divorce in 1994, 2004, and 2008, respectively. She is the mother of twins, who were born five months after her divorce from her first husband in 1994. The biological father of the twins is her third husband, but her second (who is also her current) husband has adopted them.[18] Her current husband, Joe, is supporting her in her stance against same-sex marriage.[19]
Election History[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Kim Davis | 3,909 | 53.2% | ||
| Republican | John C. Cox | 3,444 | 46.8% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Kim Davis | 1,817 | 46.2% | ||
| Democratic | Elwood Caudill, Jr. | 1,794 | 45.6% | ||
| Democratic | Charlotte Combess | 322 | 8.2% | ||
References[edit]
- ↑ http://www.buzzfeed.com/davidmack/meet-kim-davis#.hqnAblpb8
- ↑ Blinder, Alan and Perez-Pena, Richard (September 1, 2015). "Kentucky Clerk Denies Same-Sex Marriage Licenses, Defying Court". New York Times. Retrieved September 1, 2015.CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
- ↑ Bobic, Igor (September 1, 2015). "Kentucky Clerk Refuses To Issue Marriage License To Gay Couples In Heated Exchange". Huffington Post. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Higdon, Jim; Larimer, Sarah; and Somashekhar, Sandhya (September 1, 2015). "Kentucky clerk ordered to court after refusing to issue gay-marriage licenses". Washington Post. Retrieved September 1, 2015.CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
- ↑ Wynn, Mike and Wolfson, Andrew (September 1, 2015). "Gay couples ask judge to hold clerk in contempt". USA Today. Retrieved September 1, 2015.CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
- ↑ de Vogue, Ariane and Diamond, Jeremy (September 1, 2015). "ACLU wants Kentucky clerk in contempt of court over denying gay marriage licenses". CNN. Retrieved September 1, 2015.CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
- ↑ Menville, Shayla (October 17, 2014). "County clerk's race more contested than usual". The Morehead News. Retrieved September 1, 2015. External link in
|work=(help) - ↑ "Kentucky clerk won't give gay couple marriage license, defying order". Fox News. August 13, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
- ↑ Obergefell v. Hodges, No. 14-556, slip op. at 22 (U.S. June 26, 2015) ("The Court now holds that same-sex couples may exercise the fundamental right to marry.").
- ↑ Denniston, Lyle. "Opinion analysis: Marriage now open to same-sex couples". SCOTUSblog. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ↑ Chamberland, Michele (August 22, 2015). "Thousands Rally for Clerks Denying Gay Marriage Licenses". WKYT [CBS]. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
- ↑ "Local Government Responses to Obergefell v. Hodges". Ballotpedia. August 21, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
- ↑ "Kentucky Clerk Denies Same-Sex Marriage Licenses, Defying Court". New York Times. September 1, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
- ↑ "Kim Davis, a Local Fixture, and Now a National Symbol". The New York Times. 1 September 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
- ↑ Blackford, Linda B. (July 20, 2015). "Rowan Clerk Testifies She 'Prayed and Fasted' Over Decision to Deny Marriage Licenses". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
- ↑ "Vondal "Vonda" Davis". The Journal-Times (Grayson, Kentucky). The Journal-Times (Grayson, Kentucky). January 26, 2011. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Blinder, Alan; Fausset, Richard (September 1, 2015). "Kim Davis, a Local Fixture, and Now a National Symbol". The New York Times. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
- ↑ Steven Nelson. "Kentucky Clerk Fighting Gay Marriage Has Wed Four Times". US News & World Report. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
- ↑ "Kentucky clerk in gay marriage fight says to her, it's 'a heaven or hell decision'". US News and World Report. Associated Press. September 2, 2015.
- ↑ http://results.enr.clarityelections.com/KY/Rowan/53808/146149/en/summary.html#
- ↑ http://rowancountyclerk.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/2014-rowan-co-primary.pdf
External links[edit]
- Video showing Davis refusing to issue a marriage license to Same-sex couples
- Written statement from Kim Davis
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