**Supreme Court Rejects High-Profile Appeal to Overturn Same-Sex Marriage Ruling**

The Supreme Court has officially rejected a high-profile appeal aimed at overturning the landmark 2015 ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. On Monday, the justices turned away the appeal without any comment, shutting down what many considered a long-shot attempt to dismantle the precedent set by *Obergefell v. Hodges*.

This news is a massive relief and was first reported by NBC News. Fears that the court might revisit the marriage equality decision have been running incredibly high ever since the devastating 2022 ruling that overturned the abortion rights decision, *Roe v. Wade*. Anxiety spiked further when conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, in his concurring opinion in the abortion ruling, suggested that *Obergefell* and similar cases should be revisited.

That suggestion sparked widespread concern, elevating attention to this specific appeal—even though it was brought a decade after the initial controversy began. But rights are rights, and they’re here to stay.

Despite these worries and the court’s existing 6-3 conservative majority, the justices showed little interest in tackling the issue at this time. None of the other justices supported Thomas’s suggestion to revisit *Obergefell*. In fact, Justice Samuel Alito, who authored the abortion ruling, indicated as recently as last month that he was not pushing for same-sex marriage to be overturned. This was a clear sign that this particular challenge had little chance of success.

The appeal was brought by Kim Davis, a former county clerk in Kentucky. Davis became nationally known in 2015 for refusing to issue marriage licenses immediately after the *Obergefell* decision was handed down. Represented by the conservative group Liberty Counsel, Davis—who identifies as a conservative Christian—claimed her religious beliefs exempted her from putting her name on licenses for same-sex couples.

Her office in Rowan County, Kentucky, denied marriage licenses to multiple couples, including David Moore and David Ermold. The couple promptly filed a civil rights lawsuit. Although Davis was ordered by a judge to issue the licenses, she defied the court injunction and refused to comply.

Because of her refusal, the judge found her in contempt of court, resulting in Davis spending six days in jail. While she was incarcerated, Moore and Ermold were finally able to obtain their marriage license.

Although the state eventually changed the law to allow licenses to be issued without the clerk’s name, Davis’s legal battles continued. Moore and Ermold sought damages for the initial refusal, and after lengthy litigation, a jury awarded $100,000 in damages against Davis. Additionally, her lawyers reported that she was required to pay $260,000 in attorney’s fees.

Davis then appealed, arguing that she should have been allowed to use her First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion as a defense. However, she lost this appeal at the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in March of this year.

When she turned to the Supreme Court, Davis raised both the religious defense question and the much more contentious issue of overturning *Obergefell*. Ultimately, the Supreme Court’s refusal to hear the case marks a significant affirmation of marriage equality rights across the nation.
https://wegotthiscovered.com/news/good-news-the-supreme-court-isnt-even-going-to-consider-overturning-same-sex-marriage/