Kentucky: Judge Orders State To Pay Over $222K To Marriage Equality Attorneys

County Clerk Kim Davis

For a second time, a federal judge has ordered the state of Kentucky to pay over $222K to the attorneys who went to bat defending same-sex couples who were declined a marriage license by county clerk Kim Davis.

From CourtHouseNews.com:

In July, U.S. District Judge David Bunning ordered Kentucky to pay $222,695 to the attorneys of April Miller and others, after they won a favorable judgment against Davis. Bunning also awarded an additional $2,008 in other costs.

Gov. Matt Bevin and Terry Manuel, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for the Libraries and Archives, appealed the ruling, claiming the fees should be assessed against Davis and the Rowan County Clerk’s Office.

The governor and commissioner, who were third-party defendants in the case, argued that Davis did not represent Kentucky when she acted against the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges because her behavior was not directed or approved by any state official.

Bunning once again found the argument unpersuasive and rejected the appeal on Monday.

“The Commonwealth of Kentucky is liable for plaintiffs’ attorneys’ fees and costs because defendant Kim Davis acted on behalf of the Commonwealth when she refused to issue marriage licenses,” the judge wrote in his 14-page decision.

Congratulations, Kentucky! Kim Davis cost you over $222K in her misguided and illegal activism.