Kim Davis Profile: Clerk Viral Again for Asking Same-Sex Marriage Removal at the US Supreme Court

Liputan6.com, Jakarta Kim Davis, the former clerk of the Rowan County Court, Kentucky, returned to the public spotlight in August 2025.

She became widely known for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2015, due to religious objections.

This refusal sparked intense legal and social controversy, even leading to her arrest.

Now, Davis, through her legal team, has filed a new petition with the U.S. Supreme Court.

This petition aims to reconsider and even overturn the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

Ex-Kentucky clerk Kim Davis asks Supreme Court to overturn same-sex marriage ruling: ‘Legal fiction’ https://t.co/7BWx3NIzUY pic.twitter.com/6RpKjQ56wU

— New York Post (@nypost) August 11, 2025

Kimberly Jean Davis, born on September 17, 1965, served as County Clerk for Rowan County, Kentucky, from 2015 to 2019.

Prior to becoming clerk, she served as Chief Deputy Clerk under her mother, Jean W. Bailey, who also held the position. Davis, originally a Democrat, switched to the Republican Party after controversy in 2015.

The controversy surrounding Kim Davis began in June 2015, after the U.S. Supreme Court issued the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges ruling.

This ruling affirmed the fundamental right of same-sex couples to marry throughout the United States, under the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The ruling effectively legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

However, Davis, citing personal religious objections, refused to comply with the ruling.

In August 2015, she began refusing to issue marriage licenses to all couples, including heterosexual couples, to avoid issuing licenses to same-sex couples.

Kim Davis's refusal quickly led to legal challenges, one of which was Miller v. Davis. A U.S. District Court ordered Davis to begin issuing marriage licenses, but she continued to refuse.

Davis appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, but her appeal was denied, upholding the court's order.

Continuing to defy the court's order, Davis was jailed in September 2015 for contempt of court.

She served five days, claiming her actions were "under the authority of God."

After her release, Kim Davis was allowed to return home on the condition that she not interfere with the efforts of her deputy clerk, who had begun issuing marriage licenses.

She was also ordered to pay $100,000 in emotional damages and $260,000 in attorney's fees to the couples denied licenses.

In July 2025, Kim Davis took another significant legal step by filing a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court.

Through her attorney, Mathew Staver of Liberty Counsel, Davis asked the Supreme Court to review and overturn the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision.

The Supreme Court is expected to decide in the fall of 2025 whether to accept Kim Davis's case.

If the petition is accepted by at least four justices, oral arguments will likely be scheduled for Spring 2026, with a final decision expected in June 2026.

While Kim Davis's efforts have garnered attention, legal analysts believe it is unlikely the Supreme Court will overturn Obergefell outright.

William Powell, an attorney for Ermold and Moore, told The New York Post that he is “confident” the Supreme Court won’t take up Davis’ case.  

“We are confident the Supreme Court, like the court of appeals, will conclude that Davis’s arguments do not merit further attention,” Powell, who serves as senior counsel at Georgetown University’s Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection, said in a statement. 

Public support for same-sex marriage remains high in the United States, with 70% in favor in a 2025 Gallup poll.

Although Republican support declined from 55% in 2021 to 41% in 2025, the overall figure remains strong.