Gay Couple And County Clerk Face Off Over Marriage License

by Austin Petersen

By Casey Harper

A same-sex couple confronted an obstinate Kentucky county clerk who is refusing to give them a marriage license Tuesday. Now the clerk, who is citing religious reasons, could face legal trouble.

Lawyers filed contempt of court charges Tuesday morning after a testy exchange between the couple and the Rowan County clerk, who is defying a court order refusing to issue marriage licenses.

“We’re not leaving until we have a license,” David Ermold, a gay man requesting the license, told Kim Davis, the county clerk refusing to issue one.

“Then you’re going to have a long day,” Davis replied.

This was the fourth time the couple has been denied by the clerk, who says her faith as an Apostolic Christian does not allow her to put her name on a marriage license for a same-sex couple, CNN reports.

The U.S. Supreme Court late Monday denied an emergency request by the clerk that she not have to issue marriage licenses while awaiting appeal. Lower courts have already ruled against the clerk, but she has still refused. She can’t be fired from her post because she is an elected official.

To simultaneously hem against legal action and issuing gay marriage licenses, the courthouse has stopped giving out licenses altogether,  The Courier-Journal reports.

In her legal defense, Davis’ lawyers say her “conscience forbids her from approving a (same-sex marriage) license — because the prescribed form mandates that she authorize the proposed union and issue a license bearing her own name and imprimatur.”

This clerk is one of the last remnants of the same-sex marriage battle after the Supreme Court recognized same-sex marriage in a 5-4 June ruling. The ACLU is suing on behalf of four couples who have been denied marriage licenses, two of them straight and two of them same-sex.

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Austin Petersen is a homegrown Missourian with a lifelong passion for liberty. He grew up on a horse farm in Peculiar, Missouri and went on to attend Missouri State University, graduating with a degree in the Fine Arts. After developing a career in media in both New York City and Washington, D.C., he returned to Kansas City, MO, the city he now calls home. In 2016, Petersen appeared on the national stage as a candidate for president of the United States. He took second place in the crowded Libertarian primary behind Governor Gary Johnson and ahead of cyber security maverick John McAfee. During his campaign, Petersen earned many high-profile conservative endorsements, including Mary Matalin, Erick Erickson and Leon Wolf of RedState.com. Petersen also brings decades of professional experience in a wide variety of fields, from content production and media to business and political activism. He is the owner and chief executive of Stonegait LLC, a consulting firm specializing in photo and video services. He was also the director of production at FreedomWorks and an associate producer for Judge Andrew Napolitano’s show “Freedom Watch” on the Fox Business Network. Additionally, Petersen has a national following as a commentator and professional pundit. He is the founder of The Libertarian Republic, a powerful online news source for the public that receives an average of 1 million unique visits monthly and whose podcast, The Freedom Report, receives an average of one million monthly downloads. He is also a frequent contributor on television, appearing on Fox News, Fox Business, CNN, MSNBC and on dozens of local radio shows.

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