Written by MARK SHERMAN
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a call to overturn its landmark decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.
The justices, without comment, turned away an appeal from Kim Davis, the former Kentucky court clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples after the high court’s 2015 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges.
Davis had been trying to get the court to overturn a lower-court order for her to pay $360,000 in damages and attorney’s fees to a couple denied a marriage license.
Her lawyers repeatedly invoked the words of Justice Clarence Thomas, who alone among the nine justices has called for erasing the same-sex marriage ruling.
Thomas was among four dissenting justices in 2015. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito are the other dissenters who are on the court today.
Roberts has been silent on the subject since he wrote a dissenting opinion in the case. Alito has continued to criticize the decision, but he said recently he was not advocating that it be overturned.
Supporters of the LGBTQ+ community wave their flag in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, Oct. 8, 2019 in Washington. (Photo via AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta.)
Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who was not on the court in 2015, has said that there are times when the court should correct mistakes and overturn decisions, as it did in the 2022 case that ended a constitutional right to abortion.
But Barrett has suggested recently that same-sex marriage might be in a different category than abortion because people have relied on the decision when they married and had children.
Human Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson praised the justices’ decision not to intervene. “The Supreme Court made clear today that refusing to respect the constitutional rights of others does not come without consequences,” Robinson said in a statement.
Davis drew national attention to eastern Kentucky’s Rowan County when she turned away same-sex couples, saying her faith prevented her from complying with the high court ruling. She defied court orders to issue the licenses until a federal judge jailed her for contempt of court in September 2015.
She was released after her staff issued the licenses on her behalf but removed her name from the form. The Kentucky legislature later enacted a law removing the names of all county clerks from state marriage licenses.
Davis lost a reelection bid in 2018.
Related Stories
‹
![]()
PPP: Americans Opposed On Healthcare And HB2, Split On ImpeachmentWhen it comes to healthcare, Americans are surprisingly united against the GOP. (On Neil Gorsuch, we're unsurprisingly apathetic.)
![]()
Equity in Health Care - December 11, 2025What is the state of health care today, both nationally and here in our community? And what needs to be done to address disparities?
More Than 300 Charged in $14.6 Billion Health Care Fraud Schemes Takedown, Justice Department SaysState and federal prosecutors have charged more than 320 people and uncovered nearly $15 billion in false claims in what they described Monday as the largest coordinated takedown of health care fraud schemes in Justice Department history.
Biden and Harris Argue That Democrats Will Preserve Health Care and Republicans Would Take It AwayNorth Carolina was President Joe Biden's final stop on a tour of battleground states, and he touted his healthcare record at Tuesday's event.
![]()
Biden-Obama: White House Reunion To Celebrate Health LawWritten by ZEKE MILLER and RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR The last time President Barack Obama was in the White House was on Jan. 20, 2017, when he left to escort his successor — bent on overturning “Obamacare” — to the Capitol to be inaugurated. Obama returns to the White House on Tuesday for a moment he can savor. His […]
High Court Seems Likely to Leave to Health Care Law in PlaceRepublican elected officials and the Trump administration are advancing their latest arguments to get rid of the Affordable Care Act, a long-held GOP goal.
Health Care Is Focus as Barrett Supreme Court Hearing OpensSenate Democrats branded Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett a threat to the Affordable Care Act and many Americans’ health care Monday at the start of a fast-tracked hearing that Republicans are confident will end with Barrett’s confirmation to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before Election Day. In a competing effort to approvingly define the 48-year-old Barrett, who […]
On the Porch: Nida Allam - Running for NC CongressThis Week:
Nida Allam is a Canadian-American politician, political activist, and data analyst. She grew up in NC's 4th congressional district, the daughter of Indian and Pakistani immigrants. She attended North Carolina public schools and then NC State University, where she led a campaign to partner with local healthcare workers to provide free healthcare to low-income community members. Allam is currently the vice-chair of the Durham County Board of Commissioners, to which she was elected in 2020, making her the first Muslim woman to serve in public office in North Carolina.
Without Affirmative Action, Elite Colleges Are Prioritizing Economic Diversity in AdmissionsSome prestigious colleges are enrolling record numbers of low-income students as an admissions tactic in the absence of affirmative action.
Supreme Court Rejects Call to Overturn Its Decision Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage NationwideThe justices turned away an appeal from Kim Davis, the former Kentucky court clerk who refused marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
›
