ACLU Sues Rowan County Clerk Over Marriage License Refusal

Story & Photo by WTVQ TV 36

The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky announced they have filed a lawsuit on behalf of four Rowan County couples denied marriage licenses this week.

These couples had been denied by County Clerk Kim Davis, who announced on Monday that she would not be issuing any licenses at all, after the Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage.
Of the four pairs refused service, only two couples were of the same sex.

Kim Davis had cited her Christian faith for her decision, but ACLU’s Cooperating Attorney Laura Landenwich said that’s not enough. “Ms. Davis has the absolute right to believe whatever she wants about God, faith, and religion, but as a government official who swore an oath to uphold the law, she cannot pick and choose who she is going to serve, or which duties her office will perform based on her religious beliefs.”

ACLU of Kentucky Executive Director Michael Aldridge stated, “When our laws are updated or changed, government officials have a duty and a responsibility to impartially administer those laws.”