[JURIST] A Kentucky county clerk on Friday again appealed the ruling of a federal judge for the US District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky [official website] ordering her to resume issuing marriage licenses. Following the US Supreme Court’s [official website] ruling [opinion, PDF] in Obergefell v. Hodges [SCOTUSblog materials] in June, Rowan County Clerk [official website] Kim Davis has refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex or heterosexual couples arguing that her Christian faith should exempt her from issuing the licenses to same-sex couples. Davis on Friday again asked US District Judge David Bunning to stay his Wednesday ruling while she appeals to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Plaintiffs, two same-sex couples and two heterosexual couples who sued Davis for her refusal to issue marriage licenses, have urged the judge [AP report] not to stay the order. The county clerk has until Monday to respond before the judge renders his decision.

Introductions of religious exemption bills and refusals to issue licenses have been occurring around the country. In July a federal judge issued a court order [JURIST report] that all Louisiana officials must grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Earlier that month a judge for the US District Court for the Southern District of Alabama issued an order [JURIST report] that all Alabama counties must abide by the Supreme Court ruling allowing same-sex marriage. In June the North Carolina House of Representatives passed a law [JURIST report] that would allow some court officials to refuse to perform same-sex marriages based on their religious beliefs, overriding a veto [JURIST report] by Governor Pat McCroy. In May Louisiana legislatures rejected a religious objections bill [JURIST report] that was pushed by Governor Bobby Jindal. A House legal committee voted 10-2 [AP report] to kill the bill, ending weeks of serious debate. However, in an effort to solicit Christian conservatives for his likely presidential bid in 2016, Jindal immediately responded by issuing an executive order aimed at doing essentially the same thing as the bill, just on a smaller scale.