Name Game: Ky. Gov. Issues Order Permitting Kim Davis to Remove Her Moniker From Marriage Licenses
Kim Davis is still causing chaos in Kentucky.
As you probably remember, the Rowan County clerk did a brief stint in jail several months ago, not because of her religious beliefs, but because she would not issue marriage licenses to eligible couples and prevented her staff from doing so as well. After her release, Davis was mum on whether she would issue licenses herself or allow her staff to do so. And on her first day back “on the job” (in quotes because she still refuses to actually do her job), Davis reportedly stayed in her office all day with the door and blinds closed.
In the weeks that followed, Davis’ staff got back to its taxpayer-funded task of issuing marriage licenses to all qualified couples. But there is another problem – those licenses may not be valid.
Since Sept. 4, Davis’ office has issued licenses without Davis’ name. In its place is the county name. Kentucky law, however, requires the issuing clerk’s name to be on the licenses. And to make matters even more confusing, Davis created yet another version of Rowan County marriage licenses in which she made multiple changes, including removing the phrase “in the office of” and changing it to “Pursuant to Federal Court Order #15-CV-44-DLB.”
Now some are wondering about the validity of Davis’ altered licenses. In fact, the lawyers representing the plaintiffs in the ongoing lawsuit against Davis have argued that the altered licenses violate the court’s earlier orders, and have asked the judge to require Davis to use the proper form.
Somehow the situation got even worse yesterday, thanks to new Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R). Previous Gov. Steve Beshear (D) chose not to aid or abet Davis, but Bevin is a Tea Party ally who opposes marriage equality and has expressed support for the clerk. He decided to issue an executive order that allows for the removal of all clerk’s names from marriage licenses. Bevin said the action would “ensure that the sincerely held religious beliefs of all Kentuckians are honored.”
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