FILE-Protestors dress as handmaids from The Handmaid's Tale hold a rally in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on November 7, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
The Supreme Court rejected a call to overturn its decision to legalize same-sex marriage across the country.
SCOTUS decision related to previous ruling
Dig deeper:
The high court turned away an appeal from Kim Davis, a former Kentucky court clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples after the SCOTUS ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015.
According to the Associated Press, Davis attempted to get the Supreme Court to overturn a lower-court order for her to pay $360,000 in damages and lawyer's fees to a couple denied a marriage license.
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Davis' attorneys invoked the words of Justice Clarence Thomas, who has called for erasing the same-sex marriage ruling.
The AP reported that Thomas was among four dissenting justices in 2015. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito are the other dissenters who are on the court today.
Davis gained national attention in eastern Kentucky's Rowan County when she snubbed same-sex couples, claiming that her faith prevented her from complying with the Supreme Court's ruling.
According to the AP, Davis ignored court orders to issue the marriage licenses until a federal judge jailed her for contempt of court in September 2015.
What is Obergefell v. Hodges?
The backstory:
In 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry, legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide. The 5-4 decision found that state bans on same-sex marriage violated the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses.
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The case consolidated multiple lawsuits challenging state bans on same-sex marriage, with James Obergefell, an Ohio resident, as the lead plaintiff. The ruling required all 50 states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and recognize valid same-sex marriages performed in other states.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by previous LIVENOW from FOX reporting and the Associated Press. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.