Baptist Press discusses SB 2, ‘the magistrates bill’ with Rev. Creech
By David Roach
Baptist Press
August 25, 2016
ASHLAND, Ky. (BP) — Although a federal judge has dismissed three lawsuits against Kim Davis, a Kentucky county clerk who refused to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples, the religious liberty of officials in other states continues to face legal challenges.
Federal judge David Bunning, who jailed Davis for five days last year, closed the court’s files on all cases against her Aug. 18 and ordered them removed from the docket.
“The ACLU wanted to pursue the case and continue it against Kim Davis to seek damages and attorney’s fees and costs,” said Davis’ attorney Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, a legal organization specializing in religious liberty cases. “We opposed that, and the judge ultimately granted our request and dismissed … all three cases that were filed against her … It’s a significant development.”
Davis’ case prompted Kentucky’s state legislature last year to create a marriage license form that did not require county clerks’ signatures, codifying an executive order by then-newly elected Republican Gov. Matt Bevin. Read the rest of this entry