Refusal to Issue Marriage Certificate for Same-Sex Couples
"Cannot Issue Marriage Certificate Due to Conscience"
A court has ordered a former clerk in Kentucky, USA, who was jailed for refusing to issue a marriage certificate to a same-sex couple, to pay approximately $260,000 (about 340 million KRW) in damages to the couple.
On the 2nd (local time), British media including The Guardian reported that Kim Davis, the former clerk of Rowan County, Kentucky, lost the trial related to her refusal to issue a marriage certificate to a same-sex couple. The jury ruled that Davis must pay $100,000 in damages to the same-sex couple along with additional amounts.
Kim Davis, who caused controversy by refusing to issue a marriage certificate to a couple who married in 2015. [Image source=Yonhap News]
However, Davis's lawyers argued that the damages and additional costs were excessive. Nevertheless, the local judge David Bunning, who presided over the trial, disagreed and stated that Davis must pay $260,000 in costs. Davis's legal team is expected to appeal the ruling.
Previously, Davis became a controversial figure in American society in September 2015 for refusing to issue marriage certificates to same-sex couples. In June of the same year, the U.S. Supreme Court had legalized same-sex marriage across all 50 states, but Davis acted based on a limited religious exemption grounded in her Christian beliefs. She was jailed for five days on contempt of court charges after refusing a court order to issue marriage certificates to same-sex couples. At the time, Davis told the judge, "I cannot comply with the order to issue marriage certificates to same-sex couples because it goes against my conscience," and was eventually detained. Subsequently, the Kentucky state legislature passed a law removing the clerk's name from marriage certificates in all counties.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
