Miller v. Davis

Miller v. Davis
CourtUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky
Full case name April Miller et al. vs. Kim Davis in her individual and official capacity as Rowan County Clerk
DecidedAugust 18, 2015
Case history
Prior actionspreliminary injunction issued, defendant placed in federal custody for contempt of court
Court membership
Judges sittingDavid L. Bunning, U.S.D.J.
Keywords
Same-sex marriage in Kentucky, U.S. Amendment 1, Establishment Clause, Free Exercise Clause

Miller v. Davis is a federal lawsuit in the United States regarding the issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples. After the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide on June 26, 2015, the county clerk of Rowan County, Kentucky, Kim Davis, refused to issue marriage licenses to any couple to avoid issuing them to same-sex couples, citing her religious beliefs. She also refused to allow her deputies to issue the licenses, as they would still bear her title and name.

On August 12, 2015, U.S. District Judge David L. Bunning ordered Davis to issue marriage licenses to all couples. He stayed his ruling until August 31, at her request, while she sought a stay pending appeal. A federal appeals court denied the stay,[1] followed by the Supreme Court who also refused to stay the ruling.[2] On September 3, Judge Bunning ordered Davis jailed for contempt of court until she complied with the order.[3] Davis was released on September 8, following her deputy clerks issuing marriage licenses to the plaintiffs during her jailing. On September 14, Davis returned to work, at which point she no longer prevented her clerks from issuing licenses, though she continued to question their validity.[4] The case was dismissed as moot on April 19, 2016.[5]

  1. ^ Stern, Mark Joseph (August 26, 2015). "Kim Davis: Sixth Circuit orders anti-gay clerk to issue marriage licenses". Slate Magazine. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  2. ^ Wynn, Mike (August 26, 2015). "Rowan gay marriage licenses upheld on appeal". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference CNN was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Defiant Kentucky Clerk Says She Won't Block Same-Sex Marriage Licenses". The Wall Street Journal. September 14, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  5. ^ "Miller V Davis | PDF | Judiciaries | Government".