A federal judge in Kentucky has
dismissed three lawsuits against Kim Davis, the county clerk of Rowan
County, for her refusal to allow her office to issue marriage
licenses to gay and lesbian couples.
U.S. District Court Judge David Bunning
dismissed the cases on Thursday.
Davis refused to issue the marriage
licenses after the Supreme Court's June 2015 finding that gay couples
have a constitutional right to marry. She claimed that issuing the
licenses would violate her conscience. Bunning briefly jailed Davis
for contempt of court.
Davis later stated that she hopes her
public opposition to marriage equality will encourage others to take
a stand.
Plaintiffs in the lawsuits were couples
who were denied licenses. They argue that their civil rights were
violated.
“[I]n view of the fact that the
marriage licenses continue to be issued without incident, there no
longer remains a case or controversy before the Court,” Bunning
wrote in dismissing the claims of couples.
The ACLU of Kentucky, which represents
some of the couples, has not said whether it will appeal the ruling.
[Hat tip to Equality
Case Files]