by Aaron Ratliff
Kim Davis, a county clerk in Rowan County Kentucky, is a very brazen woman. You might remember her from a few months back as the clerk who was jailed for failing to issue same-sex marriage licenses. Apparently that wasn’t a clear enough message to her that no government employee decides which laws they abide by and which ones they can simply neglect.
In her defense it isn’t her this time that’s causing the problem. No, the problem this time runs much higher up the food chain than a simple county clerk. You guessed it. The tip top of the state government is who we have to blame for this most recent assault on homosexuality. Governor Matt Bevin decided that executive orders shouldn’t just be for those high-office democrats.
doesn’t make it illegal for gay couples to acquire a marriage license. What it does do is circumvent a state law. Instead of having a county clerk authorize and sign the marriage certificate, it allows for one of the clerk’s assistants to sign as a notary public. The marriage certificate is still issued and all things are still right with the world. But not really.
As you could imagine, side-stepping state law is a no no, especially when there is a Supreme Court ruling demonstrating where the majority of the national public opinion stands on an issue. The implication of this particular executive order is that it allows for a government employee to not have to do a part of their job simply because of a religious point of view (this was Kim Davis’s original dispute.) Again, not exactly something that’s allowed.
Luckily, for us there are people and litigators who are willing to go to bat over this kind of thing. The general assembly can of course rewrite the laws of the state and allow for the executive order to stand, but I don’t predict that to happen. Those seated in the General Assembly probably like their seats. So, one way or the other, there will be some litigation to follow in the Kentucky courts. Stay tuned.
About the Author
During his time before launching his college career and even now, Aaron has exhibited a strong proclivity for the art of writing. An avid reader all his life, his works are influenced through the likes of authorial greats like Stephen King, Christopher Moore, and Orson Scott Card. He is of the opinion that one is essential for the other. Aaron has mostly worked on creative short fiction and research papers but is now making a very exciting transition into the blogging aspects of his craft.
