Kentucky issues same-sex marriage licenses without Davis' signature and name
After being in jail for about five days, Kim Davis is back to work and her office is open to gay couples who would like to get their marriage licenses, on one condition: the licenses won't have her name or signature printed on them.
Davis has stated earlier that she will remain firm with her initial decision to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples, despite the judge's ruling that her office has to at any cost.
On Monday, Davis' first day back at work, Carmen and Shannon Wampler-Collins successfully walked out of the Rowan County, Kentucky clerk's office with a marriage license. The couple's license had the words "pursuant to federal court order" instead of Davis' name, and instead of Rowan County, it says "city of Morehead," which is the county seat.
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Davis said before starting her workday that the licenses her office will provide "will not be issued or authorized by me," adding that she will not sign the documents but will also not keep her deputies from giving them out.
Harry Mihet, Davis' attorney, said the workaround that the clerk came up with is a "good faith" attempt to comply with the ruling and at the same time protect her conscience and faith.
"Today, Kim Davis remains the bravest woman in America," Mihet said. "She has not compromised her conscience, she has not compromised her faith, and she has not quit serving the people of Rowan County that she loves very much."
According to CNN, Kentucky's governor Steve Beshear believes that the licenses issued should not be questioned on validity as they are still going to be recognized under the Commonwealth.
The outlet's senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin also confirmed that Kentucky's constitution might allow for a license to be valid under the deputy's signature even without that of the clerk's authorization or consent. However, if the documents are tampered in any way, such as the removal of Davis' name or title, a court ruling may be needed to prove validity.
