Gov. removes Kim Davis's name from Kentucky marriage licenses

(The Christian Science Monitor) The newly elected Kentucky governor, Matt Bevin, did what his predecessor could not or would not do. He used an executive order—one of five he issued Tuesday—to remove the name of the county clerk from marriage licenses, thereby protecting Kim Davis, who belongs to an Apostolic Christian tradition, from appearing to sanction same-sex marriage while continuing work in her elected post.

The former governor, Steve Beshear, had told Davis to do her job or resign, deferring to the state legislature when the county clerk requested relief and eventually went to jail over the issue. The Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had denied her request for a stay on a judge's order to issue the marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Davis's lawyer Mat Staver called Governor Bevin's move "a wonderful Christmas gift," allowing Davis to celebrate the holiday without worrying about the conflict between her job and her religious beliefs. The appearance of her name on the marriage licenses had been an issue for Davis and the reason an initial compromise—she permitted her clerks to make marriage licenses without interfering—failed.