This Week in God.... (Maddow blog)

First up from the God Machine this week is an unfortunate fallout from the Supreme Court’s ruling on marriage equality: county clerks who are required to issue marriage licenses to couples, but who are citing religion to ignore their professional responsibilities.

Perhaps the highest-profile example came up this week in Kentucky, where a clerk has been instructed by the governor to do his job or leave to find some other job. NBC News reported:

Casey Davis, one of three clerks in the state who is not granting licenses, held a meeting with Gov. Steve Beshear after last month’s ruling that upheld equal right to marriage across the country.

However, Beshear insisted clerks must carry out their duties and said the majority were “complying with the law” despite personal beliefs.

“ ‘Issue marriage licenses or resign’ – those were the words,” Davis told reporters after the meeting. “I can’t quit… I have a mortgage to pay.”

It’s a curious dynamic. On the one hand, Casey Davis wants to remain a clerk and keep getting paid by taxpayers. On the other hand, Davis also wants the freedom to stop doing his job when he has religious objections to couples requesting marriage licenses.

For some reason, his employer – the governor of the commonwealth of Kentucky – apparently expects clerks who remain on the job to actually do their job. Indeed, in a written statement, Beshear said, “One of Mr. Davis’ duties as county court clerk is to issue marriage licenses, and the Supreme Court now says that the United States Constitution requires those marriage licenses to be issued regardless of gender.”


(the rest at link)




http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/week-god-71115?cid=sm_fb_maddow