SUPREME COURT ABANDONS KIM DAVIS: $360,000 FOR FOLLOWING GOD
The Supreme Court on Monday, November 10, 2025, declined to hear an appeal from Kim Davis, the former Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples after the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision legalized same sex marriage nationwide. The court did not explain its reasoning for denying the appeal.
Davis now faces $360,000 in damages and legal fees for her refusal to issue marriage licenses based on her religious beliefs. A jury awarded David Moore and David Ermold $100,000 for emotional damages plus $260,000 for attorneys fees.
In 2015, shortly after the Supreme Court recognized a constitutional right to same sex marriage in Obergefell v. Hodges, Davis, who served as clerk of Rowan County in Kentucky, made national headlines when she refused on religious grounds to issue a marriage license to Moore and Ermold. Davis stated she was acting "under God's authority" and told the couple they could obtain a marriage license in a different county.
Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear at the time sent a letter to clerks in all of the state's counties, directing them to "license and recognize the marriages of same sex couples." Although a county attorney told Davis she would be required to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples, Davis opted instead to stop issuing marriage licenses to anyone, gay or straight.
After a federal court found she had violated a court order to issue licenses, Davis was thrown in jail for six days. She was sued by multiple couples in the county.
Davis's petition to the Supreme Court directly asked the justices to overturn the Obergefell decision. "The time has come," Davis argued in a recent filing, for a "course correction." Her attorney, Mat Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel, stated, "Like the abortion decision in Roe v. Wade, Obergefell was egregiously wrong from the start. This opinion has no basis in the constitution."
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit rejected Davis's argument that the First Amendment's religious protections should shield her from legal liability. The court reasoned that Davis is protected by the First Amendment when she is a private citizen, but she was acting on behalf of the government when she denied Moore and Ermold's marriage license, an action that was not protected by the First Amendment.
The court of appeals acknowledged that in Obergefell, the Supreme Court observed that many people "deem same sex marriage to be wrong" based on "religious or philosophical premises." "But those opposed to same sex marriage," the court of appeals wrote, "do not have a right to transform their 'personal opposition' into 'enacted law and public policy.'" "The Bill of Rights," the court stated, "would serve little purpose if it could be freely ignored whenever an official's conscience so dictates."
Davis's appeal came as conservative opponents of marriage rights for same sex couples have pursued a renewed campaign to reverse legal precedent. So far in 2025, at least nine states have either introduced legislation aimed at blocking new marriage licenses for LGBTQ people or passed resolutions urging the Supreme Court to reverse Obergefell at the earliest opportunity, according to the advocacy group Lambda Legal.
In June 2025, the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation's largest Protestant Christian denomination, overwhelmingly voted to support "overturning of laws and court rulings, including Obergefell v. Hodges." In October 2025, the Supreme Court of Texas adopted language allowing judges to refuse to perform same sex wedding ceremonies due to religious beliefs.
The Supreme Court's composition has changed significantly since the 2015 Obergefell decision. Justice Anthony Kennedy, the key swing vote who authored the Obergefell decision, retired in 2018 and was replaced by conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a liberal icon who was also in the Obergefell majority, died in 2020 and was succeeded by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a conservative.
There are an estimated 823,000 married same sex couples in the U.S., including 591,000 that wed after the Supreme Court decision in June 2015, according to the Williams Institute at UCLA Law School.
THE CRUSADER'S OPINION
Kim Davis spent six days in jail for her faith.
Now she owes $360,000 for following her conscience.
The Supreme Court that overturned Roe refused to even hear her case.
She didn't force anyone to accept her beliefs.
She simply asked not to violate them.
The government said no.
Put your name on this license or go to jail.
Betray Christ or pay $360,000.
Nine states are pushing to overturn Obergefell.
The Southern Baptist Convention voted to fight it.
Texas judges can now refuse to perform same sex ceremonies.
But Kim Davis gets abandoned by the court while LGBT activists celebrate.
Religious liberty lost today.
TAKE ACTION
1. Liberty Counsel: Support Kim Davis and religious freedom legal defense at www.lc.org or call +1 (800) 671-1776.
2. Alliance Defending Freedom: Fund cases defending religious liberty at www.adflegal.org or call +1 (800) 835-5233.
3. Contact the Supreme Court: Mail your concerns to: Supreme Court of the United States, 1 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20543.
4. First Liberty Institute: Support religious freedom litigation at www.firstliberty.org or call +1 (972) 941-4444.
5. Share this story: Post with #ReligiousFreedom #KimDavis and demand protections for Christians who refuse to violate their conscience.
6. Family Research Council: Support advocacy for religious liberty at www.frc.org or call +1 (800) 225-4008.
