The Supreme Court rejected a petition asking the court to reconsider its 2015 landmark ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in the US.
The request came from Kim Davis, a former Kentucky court clerk, who gained national attention for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples following the court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges. Davis was appealing a lower court’s requiring her to pay $360,000 in fines and damages to a couple to whom she refused to grant a marriage license.
The court issued a brief, unsigned order stating that her petition is denied. The order was shared as part of a group of orders on pending cases. No justices commented on the case, and no explanation was given.
Mat Staver, founder of the conservative legal organization Liberty Counsel, called the decision “heartbreaking” in a statement on Monday.
“Kim Davis’ resolve will raise up many more challenges to this wrongly decided opinion. The day will come. The days of Obergefell are numbered,” Staver, whose organization was representing Davis, wrote.
Davis has not publicly commented on the decision.
Start your day with essential news from Salon.Sign up for our free morning newsletter, Crash Course.
Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson praised the court’s rejection of the petition.
“Today, love won again,” Robinson wrote a statement. “The Supreme Court made clear today that refusing to respect the constitutional rights of others does not come without consequences.”
The Democratic Party called gay marriage the “law of the land” in a brief message on social media. Colorado Governor Jared Polis said the decision would encourage others to continue “fighting to ensure equality under the law.”
“Today’s Supreme Court decision not to hear a case banning gay marriage reaffirms that love is love,” Polis wrote on X.
Read more
about the Supreme Court
