US Supreme Court Urged To Revisit 2015 Ruling Legalising Same-Sex Marriage

Last Updated:August 12, 2025, 00:39 IST

In her recent appeal to the Supreme Court, Davis is contesting the $100,000 jury verdict.

It remains uncertain whether the Supreme Court will take up the case (Pexels/Representative Image)

The US Supreme Court legalised same-sex marriage in 2015 following its landmark ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges. Now, nearly a decade after that historic decision, the nation’s highest court is being urged to revisit the ruling. Kim Davis, a former county clerk from Kentucky, has submitted a petition asking the Court to consider granting her protection from personal liability under the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment, reported ABC.

Davis made national headlines in 2015 when she was jailed for six days after refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, citing her religious beliefs. At the time, she was the only official authorised under Kentucky law to issue marriage licenses in Rowan County. When she denied a marriage certificate to David Ermold and David Moore, a lower court ordered her to pay $100,000 in damages for infringing on their constitutional rights.

In her recent appeal to the Supreme Court, Davis is contesting the $100,000 jury verdict and is also seeking $260,000 in emotional damages and attorneys’ fees. Her claims had previously been dismissed by lower courts. A federal appeals court panel earlier this year ruled against her, stating that the former clerk “cannot raise the First Amendment as a defence because she is being held liable for state action, which the First Amendment does not protect."

It remains uncertain whether the Supreme Court will take up the case. The justices are expected to consider if they will take the matter during a private conference at the end of September. Should the Court agree to hear the case, oral arguments would likely take place in the spring of 2026, with a final decision anticipated by the end of June.

“I’m hoping that we’ll obviously get justice in this case for Kim Davis but that the religious accommodation that she obtained for all clerks," said Matt Staver, Davis’ legal representative, in a statement to Scripps News.

Meanwhile, William Powell, attorney for David Ermold and David Moore, expressed confidence in the current legal outcome. In a statement to ABC, he noted, “Not a single judge on the US Court of Appeals showed any interest in Davis’ rehearing petition, and we are confident the Supreme Court will likewise agree that her arguments do not merit further attention."

In her petition, Davis further argues that the Court should treat the issue of same-sex marriage similarly to how it addressed abortion in its 2022 ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade. This is the first time that someone has challenged the same-sex marriage ruling after it was announced in 2015.

Location :

New York, United States of America (USA)

First Published:

August 12, 2025, 00:39 IST

News world US Supreme Court Urged To Revisit 2015 Ruling Legalising Same-Sex Marriage

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