Davis loses another appeal as deputy clerk thinks marriage license forms may have become invalid
Rowan County clerk Kim Davis has yet again lost another appeal last Thursday to keep her from providing marriage licenses to gay couples.
Davis has gone back to work, and after spending almost an entire week in jail, the clerk has allowed her staff to issue marriage licenses, but without her name, title, and signature.
According to The Huffington Post, Davis' legal counsel appealed that the federal judge's order that the clerk issue licenses to qualified same-sex couples should only apply to the four couples who sued their client. The appeal further explains that Davis should not be required to issue licenses while the case is still pending.
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For the second time since the clerk asked that she be allowed to delay the issuance of gay marriage licenses, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit rejected her request.
Meanwhile, one of Davis' deputy clerks said he is worried that he might have been issuing invalid marriage licenses to gay couples, as stated by papers filed in federal court.
According to CNN, Rowan County deputy clerk Brian Mason's lawyer said in a report Friday addressed to a federal judge that Davis replaced the original marriage license forms with new forms that didn't have her name, the county's name, nor any references to a clerk or deputy clerk.
Mason's lawyer, Richard Hughes, also said in the report that the new forms require Mason to list in his initials, without a signature, but with a notarization beside the deputy clerk's initials.
Hughes clarified that "Mr. Mason's concern is he does not want to be the party that is issuing invalid marriage licenses and he is trying to follow the court's mandate as well as his superior ordering him to issue only these changed forms. ..." He also said that the changes applied in the new forms are in some way attempting to "circumvent the court's orders."
However, Davis' lawyer Mat Staver insisted in a statement on Saturday that "there is no new development with this report."
