Tag Archives: ACLU

Marriage equality champion Jim Obergefell has penned an open letter to Kim Davis. Via the ACLU, here’s the full text of his letter: “As you may know, when you fall in love with someone, you hand your heart and soul over to them. Anyone who has committed to sharing their life with another human and forming a family unit knows …

An Oklahoma commission has agreed to comply with the state Supreme Court’s order to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the grounds of the state capitol. Christian activists had maintained that the monument was historical rather than religious, but the court sided with plaintiffs represented by the ACLU. Tulsa World reports: The Capitol Preservation Commission on Tuesday authorized a state …

Via the Wall Street Journal: Plaintiffs in a lawsuit against a Kentucky county clerk who refuses to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples filed a motion Monday evening arguing that she is once again violating a federal court’s orders and asking a judge to enforce them. Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis, who objects to same-sex marriage on religious grounds, spent …

The Associated Press reports: Attorneys representing the couples who sued clerk Kim Davis over her refusal to issue marriage licenses are concerned that the altered forms Davis’ deputies issued could be invalid. Davis, on her first day back at work after a five-day stint in jail, announced Monday that she would not block her deputies from issuing licenses. But she …

The ACLU has filed a federal motion asking that Kim Davis be cited for contempt of court. The motion declares that the ACLU is not seeking to have Davis arrested. From the motion: Plaintiffs have established a prima facia case, in that they have shown by sufficient evidence that Defendant Davis, in refusing to grant Plaintiffs Miller and Roberts a …

Attorneys for the good guys have handed Kentucky a demand for $2.3M in legal fees. The Lexington Herald-Leader has more: Gov. Steve Beshear hired lawyers to defend the state of Kentucky’s ban on gay marriage for two years in the federal courts, arguing that Kentuckians deserved “finality and understanding of what the law is.” Understanding can be expensive. Two months …

Yet another big win for the good guys! Via the Denver Channel: The Colorado Court of Appeals says a Lakewood bakery owner cannot refuse to make wedding cakes for same-sex couples. The appeals court reaffirmed the Colorado Civil Rights Commission order from May that Masterpiece Cakeshop owner Jack Phillips cannot refuse to prepare wedding cakes for gay couples. Phillips’ attorneys …

The Liberty Counsel is suing Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear on behalf of renegade county clerk Kim Davis. Via the Lexington Herald-Leader: Late Tuesday, Davis filed a lawsuit against Beshear in federal district court. She blamed the governor for instructing all 120 of the state’s county clerks to comply with this summer’s U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized gay marriage. Beshear’s …

Infamous Kentucky county clerk and alleged dog-napping conspirator Kim Davis took the stand today in the ACLU’s lawsuit against her for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses. Via the local CBS affiliate: Davis told the court she’s an apostolic Christian and her religion says that marriage can only be between a man and a woman. She says her right to …

Following my mention of their 2013 story, Page One Kentucky has posted an update about the dog allegedly stolen by the daughter of renegade county clerk Kim Davis. Remember Charlie Brown? He’s the dog Kim’s daughter apparently stole (not allegedly, she did it). Kim was running for election at the time — a campaign she ultimately won, replacing her mother …

Via press release: The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky today filed a lawsuit on behalf of four Rowan County couples, two same-gender couples and two opposite-gender couples, denied marriage licenses by County Clerk Kim Davis. Since the U.S. Supreme Court issued a sweeping and historic decision that affords gay and lesbian couples the legal right to marry, Ms. Davis …

Clip recap: “In 1970, the ACLU filed the first freedom-to-marry lawsuit in the United States. We are now at the Supreme Court to fight to win the freedom to marry for couples in all 50 states. As we get closer than ever before to the freedom to marry for all, let’s take a walk down memory lane. Thank you to …

As the date for oral arguments before SCOTUS draws closer, LGBT groups have been jockeying for position. Chris Geidner reports on yesterday’s developments at Buzzfeed: Lawyers for the plaintiffs in the six cases out of four states before the Supreme Court asked the justices to split the April 28 arguments, which will include 90 minutes focused on whether states can …

“The number and rate of developments has been dizzying as officials came to different conclusions about their legal obligations and as parties tried to intervene in the initial cases and bring other officials under the Court’s injunction. The Court should not further undermine the relationship between the state and federal courts by granting Plaintiffs leave to drastically change the nature …

Via press release: A group of leading national civil rights organizations today filed a motion requesting a federal district court to expand a lawsuit challenging Alabama’s ban on same-sex marriage and to order all county probate judges in the state to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The joint motion was filed by the Americans United for Separation of Church …

Two weeks ago the Arkansas legislature approved a bill that would ban any municipality from enacting LGBT anti-discrimination ordinances. Without a veto from Gov. Asa Hutchinson, that law goes into effect tomorrow. Yesterday Lambda Legal, the ACLU, GLAD, and the NCLR issued a last-minute plea to Hutchinson. SB 202 was passed to thwart cities like Fayetteville and Eureka Springs that …

Last last night the Alabama Supreme Court agreed to consider the petition for a writ of mandamus filed on Wednesday by Liberty Counsel. In a 6-2 decision issued late Friday, the Alabama Supreme Court set up a schedule next week for the different sides to file their answers and briefs on the request by the Alabama Policy Institute and Alabama …

From the National Center for Lesbian Rights: Moments ago, United States District Judge Callie V. S. Granade granted the request of four Mobile County same-sex couples to add Mobile County Probate Judge Don Davis as a defendant in a lawsuit in which Judge Granade previously struck down Alabama’s marriage equality ban as violating the federal Constitution. Judge Granade scheduled a …

Via the Lincoln Journal-Star: A federal judge on Tuesday denied the state’s motion to stay a lawsuit challenging Nebraska’s ban on same-sex marriages and set a Feb. 19 hearing on a motion that would force the state to allow them while the case is pending. “Let it suffice to say that the State defendants have not made a sufficient showing …