20.2 - Good News: Kim Davis can be sued for damages

Good News: Kim Davis can be sued for damages

Next, another bit of lawsuit-related Good News: Kim Davis can be sued.

In case you've forgotten, Kim Davis is the Kentucky county clerk who had her 15 minutes of fame in 2015 when she refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples after the Supreme Court ruling validating such marriages nationwide, claiming her religion wouldn't let her do so. She ultimately served time in jail for contempt of court while allowing herself to be used as a tool of the right wing bigots.

Kim Davis

Last year, a District Court Judge dismissed three lawsuits against Davis, arguing the suits were moot because a new state law excused clerks from having to sign marriage license forms and so those who had been denied them could then obtain them.

However, one of those three was the case of David Ermold and David Moore, who were not seeking an injunction demanding Davis do her job but damages for having refused to.

On May 2, a three-judge panel of the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the District Court ruling in their case, finding that Kentucky's new law did not change the "past harm" that Davis may have inflicted. So Ermold and Moore may proceed with their suit.

The couple's attorney expressed confidence his clients will prevail and get damages. I hope they do. There needs to be a price, some sort of price, for bigotry.

It will be interesting to see if any of those right-wing forces that were so eager to raise her as a hero in order to fund-raise off her will volunteer to cover any damages now that she is "Kim Who?"