Kim Davis failed

But her advocates are still American power players

 - by Spencer Macnaughton
   Uncloseted Media

This story was originally published by Uncloseted Media, an LGBTQ focused investigative news outlet.

This past week, the Supreme Court declined to revisit Kim Davis’ appeal that attempted to overturn its landmark precedent recognizing same-sex marriage as a legal right nationwide.

Davis may now fade into the distance, but how did the former Kentucky county clerk become the face of America’s anti-gay marriage movement?

In short, Davis had help from some of the biggest Christian legal groups and most influential figures in the U.S., who are still actively trying to roll back LGBTQ rights on home soil and—in many cases—internationally.

Now more than ever, we need to remain vigilant about Davis and these groups and monitor their efforts. Here are a few key moments where far-right groups and actors tried to assist Davis, aiding in her infamy and celebrification in American culture:

   - July 8, 2015: Attorneys from the Christian legal group Liberty Counsel move to represent Davis in her first lawsuit, which had been filed against her by four couples whom she’d denied a marriage license to and were being represented by the ACLU

   - Aug. 4, 2015: Davis and Liberty Counsel sue Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear for requiring her to issue gay marriage licenses, arguing that it’s a violation of her religious liberty and that he should be accountable for any legal damages instead of her.

   - Sept. 3, 2015: Davis is arrested and jailed for not complying with a court order when she continued to refuse to sign gay marriage licenses and ordered her deputy clerks to do the same. She allegedly did so under Liberty Counsel’s advice.

   - Sept. 8, 2015: Davis is released from jail. Former Arkansas governor and Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee emcees a rally outside the jail in support of her upon her release. Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who was also running for president at the time, visited Davis in Kentucky because he was “going to be doing everything in his power to ensure more Americans don’t become victims of religious persecution by the government,” an aide to the campaign said.

   - Sept. 9, 2015: The Oath Keepers, a far-right militia group, announce that they’re sending troops to prevent Davis from being arrested again, though Liberty Counsel would later decline their offer.

   - Sept. 24, 2015: Davis and her husband meet with Pope Francis. Liberty Counsel Founder Mat Staver claims that the Pope gave her rosaries and told her to “stay strong.” The Vatican later released a statement clarifying that the meeting should not be seen as an endorsement and that several dozen people attended.

   - Oct. 5, 2020: The Supreme Court rejects Liberty Counsel’s appeal in Davis’ case, which sought to overturn Obergefell. While Justices Thomas and Alito agree on the decision not to hear the case, they also note that it is a “stark reminder of the consequences” of the Obergefell decision and say that Davis “may have been one of the first victims of this court’s cavalier treatment of religion.”

   - Nov. 11, 2025: Supreme Court denies Kim Davis’ petition to revisit same-sex marriage ruling. Staver says he will keep trying. “Like the abortion decision in Roe v. Wade, Obergefell was egregiously wrong from the start. This opinion has no basis in the Constitution,” he says.

The Gayly online. 11/16/2025 @ 5:55 p.m. CST.