Kentucky Forced to Pay Out $225,000 Thanks to Kim Davis

Looks like Kim Davis just cost the state of Kentucky a couple hundred thousand dollars.

The disgraced Rowan County clerk got her 15 minutes of fame back in 2015 when she made headlines for refusing to provide marriage licenses to protest the legalization of same-sex marriage.

While someone else in the office eventually became responsible for handling the thing that she was elected to do and blatantly refused to do, the damage had already been done, and eight people who had been denied marriage licenses brought a lawsuit against her over her actions.

But the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a previous ruling that the state of Kentucky was responsible for Davis and thus responsible for covering the $225,000 worth of legal fees and court costs incurred by the couples involved in the suit.

“They prevailed against her in her capacity as a state official, not a county one,” said Judge Richard Allen Griffin. “Because Davis acted on Kentucky’s behalf when issuing and refusing to issue marriage licenses, the district court correctly imposed liability for the award on the commonwealth.”

It’s a steep bill to pay for a single clerk’s discrimination on account of religion, and while Davis herself isn’t having to take responsibility, ACLU attorney William Sharp is still hopeful the outcome resonates with others.

“By affirming the sizable fee award, the court also sent a strong message to other government officials in Kentucky that it is not only unconstitutional to use public office to impose one’s personal religious views on others, but that it also can be a very expensive mistake,” he said.

Another separate case against Davis, who lost her bid for re-elecation last year, is still open.