Davis is the Clerk of Rowan County Kentucky who has been in the news for refusing to issue marriage license to same sex couples - or anyone else for that matter - due to her religious beliefs, despite the fact that a recent Supreme Court case mandates that she do so.
There are a few aspects of this issue that apply to both 2305 and 2306. In 2305 I see us looking at the case next week when we get further into religious liberty - which is the subject of one of the sections that opened up this week.
One is the role of the county clerk in state government. A second related issue is whether religious liberty is a legitimate excuse - as defined by the court - for nor performing a political duty. A third involves speculation about where this case goes from here, and finally how this might impact the presidential race - where have the candidates aligned themselves on this issue and what does this tell us about their campaign strategies?
Here are few links for background purposes:
- Wikipedia: Kim Davis.
- Wikipedia: Rowan County, Kentucky.
- The Weaker Party: What is a county clerk anyway?
And background about the case from the NYT:
- Clerk in Kentucky Chooses Jail Over Deal on Same-Sex Marriage.
- Kentucky Clerk Defies Court on Marriage Licenses for Gay Couples.
Since her opposition stems form the recent gay marriage decision, here's some detail on the case it was based on. We'll discuss it in depth when we cover civil rights soon:
- Wikipedia: Obergefell v. Hodges.
A couple items on religious liberty:
- Will Kentucky clerk's jailing move needle on debate over religious liberty?
- The Fatal Flaw in Kim Davis’s Appeal.
And for the impact of the issue on the presidential election:
- Do GOP Hopefuls Care More About the Law or “Religious Liberty”? A Kim Davis Roundup.
- Presidential Candidates Take Sides On Support For Kentucky Clerk.
- Here is Where All the Republican Presidential Candidates Stand on Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis.
- Here's How GOP Presidential Candidates Are Responding to County Clerk Kim Davis' Arrest.
- Clerk’s gay marriage protest divides the Republican field.
