Kentucky Governor: Clerk's arguments 'absurd' and 'obtuse' [View all]

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Kentucky Governor: Clerk's arguments 'absurd' and 'obtuse'

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear's lawyers are using the words "absurd," ''forlorn" and "obtuse" to describe the legal arguments a county clerk has used to avoid issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.


Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis makes a statement to the media at the front door of the Rowan County Judicial Center in Morehead, Ky. Davis, who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, says she met briefly with the pope during his historic visit to the United States. Vatican officials did not respond to an email asking for comment early Wednesday, Sept. 30.


Rowan County clerk Kim Davis, who spent five days in jail for defying a series of federal court orders, filed a lawsuit against the governor, alleging he violated her religious freedom by asking clerks to comply with the U.S. Supreme Court's decision, which effectively legalized gay marriage across the nation. Beshear reiterated a request Tuesday that a judge toss the suit.

"Simply stated, Davis' role is a legal one — not a moral or religious one," Beshear's attorneys wrote in the court document. The day the Supreme Court handed down its ruling, Beshear sent a letter to the state's 120 county clerks explaining how the state intended to comply.

"Neither your oath nor the Supreme Court dictates what you must believe. But as elected officials, they do prescribe how we must act," he wrote, and advised the clerks that the state's marriage license template would be updated to remove "bride" and "groom."

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"At issue here are marriage licenses issued by the Office of Rowan County Clerk and not Kim Davis individually, as Kim Davis individually has no authority to issue such licenses," he wrote. "The Office of Rowan County Clerk does not have a right to free exercise of religion."
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http://www.mail.com/news/politics/3858456-kentucky-governor-clerks-arguments-absurd-obtuse.html#.7518-stage-hero1-2