The Supreme Court has declined to take up a challenge to its historic 2015 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. Monday’s decision came in response to an appeal by Kim Davis, the former Kentucky clerk who made headlines for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples on religious grounds. The justices denied the appeal without comment, leaving Obergefell in place and signaling no appetite among the current conservative majority to revisit one of the nation’s most significant civil rights decisions.
Kim Davis’s Appeal and the Court’s Response
Kim Davis—ordered to pay over $300,000 in damages to a couple denied a marriage license—sought to overturn the ruling by arguing religious protections should exempt her from legal liability. Her petition stirred widespread concern among advocates, particularly after conservative Justice Clarence Thomas previously suggested that the ruling deserved reexamination. Despite a majority of conservative justices, however, only Thomas has openly advocated the idea; others declined to join his opinion and did not support taking up Davis’s case.
Implications for Marriage Equality
Legal experts highlighted the significance of the denial. It quietly reassures over 800,000 same-sex couples whose marriages rely on Obergefell’s protection. The court’s order also comes amid a backdrop of recent decisions restricting LGBTQ rights in other areas, leaving advocates prepared but relieved for now. As legal debates continue over religious exemptions and LGBTQ protections, Monday’s decision is seen as a durable reaffirmation of marriage equality in the U.S.