Kim Davis bid ends at the Supreme Court: Justices refuse appeal, leave marriage-equality precedent and damages intact

The long-running legal fight surrounding Kim Davis reached its endpoint this week. On Monday, Nov. 10, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up her appeal, leaving in place both the nationwide right to same-sex marriage and the money judgment entered against the former Kentucky county clerk who refused marriage licenses in 2015. With the denial, Davis’s effort to re-open the constitutional question—and to escape liability to couples she turned away—comes to a close.

What the Supreme Court’s move means

The Court’s refusal to hear the case keeps Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) fully intact. There is no new briefing, no argument, and no separate writings signaling an appetite to revisit the ruling. Practically, that means clerks and state officials remain bound to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples on equal terms, and lower-court decisions holding Davis personally liable remain the final word.

On the financial side, the denial leaves in place a judgment requiring Davis to pay more than $360,000 to one of the couples she refused—an amount that covers compensatory damages and attorney’s fees after years of litigation. Other fee awards and case costs already associated with the saga are unaffected by Monday’s order.

How the Kim Davis case got here

• 2015: After the Supreme Court recognized marriage equality, Davis—then the Rowan County Clerk—stopped issuing marriage licenses altogether, citing religious objections. A federal judge ordered her office to comply.

• Contempt and jail: Davis was held in contempt for defying that order and spent several days in custody before deputies resumed issuing licenses.

• Civil lawsuits: Couples denied licenses sued for damages under federal civil-rights law. Multiple courts later concluded Davis acted in her official capacity in violation of clearly established constitutional rights.

• Appeals: Davis sought to undo the liability rulings and, ultimately, asked the Supreme Court to revisit Obergefell itself. Monday’s denial ends that path.

Why this matters beyond Kim Davis

Stability of marriage rights

The denial is a signal of doctrinal stability. While some past opinions have invited speculation about revisiting substantive due-process precedents, the Court’s silent rejection here freezes the legal landscape: marriage equality remains a nationwide guarantee. State-level attempts to narrow licensing, recognition, or benefits face the same constitutional barrier they have since 2015.

Accountability for officials

The outcome underscores that public officials cannot nullify constitutional rights by personal objection. When rights are “clearly established,” qualified-immunity defenses fall away, and damages—including substantial attorney’s fees—can follow. That message resonates in clerk offices, school boards, and agency counters where conscience claims sometimes collide with settled law.

What’s next for the parties and for policy

• For Davis: With certiorari denied, the damages judgment is enforceable through ordinary collection tools unless satisfied or otherwise resolved. There is no higher court left to petition on the claims at issue.

• For the couples: The decision secures payment and closes a decade-long chapter that forced repeated court interventions to access a standard government service.

• For legislatures and agencies: Compliance frameworks put in place after 2015—such as reassigning ministerial licensing duties to avoid individual conflicts—remain the practical template for balancing religious accommodation and equal access.

The Supreme Court has shut the door on the Kim Davis appeal. Obergefell stands undisturbed, and the monetary judgment against Davis stands with it. After ten years of litigation and national debate sparked by a single county office, the law returns to where it has been: the right to marry is equal, and officials who refuse to carry out that right can be held to account.