Kentucky Clerk of Courts Fights for Religious Liberty

COVINGTON, KY - Today, County Clerk Kim Davis will testify in federal court, standing for the freedom of religion of every American.

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The Rowan County Clerk was sued by the American Civil Liberties Union because she refused to issue marriage licenses after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage. Davis cannot issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples because it violates her deeply held religious beliefs. "Despite the opinion of five black robed lawyers, the Constitution still governs the United States, and the First Amendment guarantees Kim and every American the free exercise of religion," said Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. In a similar work-related, freedom of religion case where a practicing member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church was denied unemployment benefits after being forced out of a job when her employer required her to work on Saturdays, the Court upheld religious liberty over workplace responsibilities. Supreme Court Justice William Brennan, writing for the majority in Sherbert v. Verner, wrote, to "condition the availability of benefits upon this [employee's] willingness to violate a cardinal principle of her religious faith effectively penalizes the free exercise of her constitutional liberties." "This case is not about couples who want to be married--they can easily get married in Kentucky. This case is about crushing dissent and removing Christian public servants from office," said Roger Gannam, Senior Litigation Attorney for Liberty Counsel. "Religion tests for holding elected office are unconstitutional and un-American." "Just as Justice Alito predicted in his dissent in Obergefell, secularists are trying to 'stamp out every vestige of dissent' by targeting people of faith who do not agree with same-sex marriage," continued Gannam. "Today's court case is not just for Kim, it is for every Christian who holds office or owns a business. It is for every pastor and church member. Today, we are fighting for your rights to exercise your deeply held religious beliefs. 'Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,'" Staver concluded, citing the First Amendment.