Deputy Clerk Claims Kim Davis Altered Marriage Licenses, Interfered With Court's Orders

Kim Davis, the Rowan County Clerk who refuses to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, continues to interfere with court orders.

The Guardian reports that Rowan County deputy clerk, Brian Mason filed notice with a Kentucky district court alleging that Davis, “may have altered forms used in the marriage licensing process, raising questions over the validity of licenses issued in the county.”

Davis, who was jailed for five days for refusing to issue marriage licenses, was released under the condition that she not interfere with the licensing process. It looks like, however, that she might have done just that.

Mason told the court that Davis took the original forms that he issued this week and “handed out an altered form that did not include her name and does not mention the county.” In the filing, Mason’s lawyer, Richard Hughes, said: “Those changes were made in some attempt to circumvent the court’s orders and may have raised to the level of interference against the court’s orders.”

The broader issue seems to be over Kentucky’s laws which require that marriage licenses be issued with the county clerk’s name on them. Davis’ new forms, again, do not include her name and instead indicate that they were issued under the orders of a federal court, rather than the clerk’s authority.

Via the Guardian:

“…lawyers with the American Civil Liberties Union, which represents the gay couples that sued Davis, said they are concerned the new forms might not meet the requirements of Kentucky state law. Hughes echoed those concerns in Friday’s court filing.”

Meanwhile, Kentucky’s governor has said that the licenses without Davis’ name will be honored by the state.