Hillary Clinton urges gay couples to marry before Kim Davis’s claim is approved
The 2016 presidential candidiate highlighted her fears for same-sex marriage rights: "My prediction is they will do to gay marriage what they did to abortion"
By Aaron Sugg
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has urged same-sex couples in the US to consider getting married amid the future uncertainty of the gay marriage.
The court is considering an appeal by former Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis, who spent six days in jail in 2015 for refusing to issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple following the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges ruling.
Davis is now appealing a $100,000 jury verdict for emotional damages and $260,000 in attorney fees. If the Supreme Court approves the case, it could threaten same-sex marriage.
“I fear that they will undo the national right” – Hillary Clinton
Clinton said on the Raging Moderates podcast: “Anybody in a committed relationship out there in the LGBTQ+ community, you ought to consider getting married… Because I don’t think they’ll undo existing [same-sex] marriages, but I fear that they will undo the national right.”
She also warned of the broader implications: “It took 50 years to overturn Roe v. Wade. The Supreme Court will hear a case about gay marriage. My prediction is they will do to gay marriage what they did to abortion. They will send it back to the states.”
“Lady, you’ve been married four times to three different people” – Andy Cohen
Alongside Clinton, the case has drawn reactions from LGBTQ+ celebrities and allies. Executive producer of the Real Housewives franchise, Andy Cohen called out the clerk on his talk show Watch What Happens Live!
“Lady, you’ve been married four times to three different people, reportedly getting pregnant with husband number three while still married to husband number one,” he told the audience.
If same-sex marriage were overturned at the federal level, decisions would return to individual states.
“Davis’s arguments do not merit further attention” – Attorney William Powell
Davis’s filing states that marriages since the 2015 ruling would be disregarded. The attorney for the couple who sued Davis in 2015, William Powell said in an interview with ABC News that he is “confident the Supreme Court will likewise agree that Davis’s arguments do not merit further attention.”
The case marks the first time the Supreme Court has been formally asked to reconsider nationwide same-sex marriage protections sparking concern and fear within the LGBTQ+ community.