The US Supreme Court has declined to hear a case seeking to overturn the nationwide right to same-sex marriage, leaving intact the landmark 2015 ruling that legalized such unions across the country.
In keeping with standard practice, the conservative-leaning court offered no explanation for its refusal to take up the case.
The petition was brought by Kim Davis, a former Kentucky county clerk who gained national attention after refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, citing her Christian beliefs. Davis had asked the court to revisit and overturn the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision.
She was later ordered to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages to a couple she denied a license.
With conservatives holding a 6–3 majority on the bench, Davis’s appeal had sparked concern within the LGBTQ community that the court—just three years after reversing the federal protection of abortion rights—might be open to revisiting the issue of marriage equality.
At least four justices would have needed to vote in favor of hearing the case for it to move forward.
The Human Rights Campaign, a leading LGBTQ rights organization, welcomed the court’s decision, calling it a relief for same-sex couples and advocates who feared renewed legal battles over marriage equality.
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