US Supreme Court Declines Challenge to Same-Sex Marriage Ruling

The US Supreme Court has refused to take up a case that sought to overturn its 2015 landmark ruling legalising same-sex marriage nationwide.

The appeal was brought by former Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis, who became nationally known after she refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Davis, citing her religious beliefs, argued she should not be required to comply with the Obergefell v. Hodges decision.

A lower court had ordered Davis to pay about US$360,000 in damages and legal fees to couples she turned away. The Supreme Court declined to intervene or revisit the marriage ruling, leaving that judgment in place.

Davis’ legal team pointed to past comments from Justice Clarence Thomas, who has previously criticised the Obergefell decision. But the court took no action, and none of the justices publicly dissented.

In recent years, some justices have suggested that same-sex marriage has become legally entrenched due to public reliance on the ruling, including couples who have since married and raised families.

Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, welcomed the court’s decision, saying it confirms that “refusing to respect the constitutional rights of others has consequences.”

Davis was jailed briefly in 2015 for defying court orders and later lost her re-election bid in 2018.