Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin issued an executive order Tuesday that will no longer require a county clerk’s name to appear on marriage license forms.
The change comes after the national firestorm ignited earlier this year when Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis defied a judge’s order to issue such licenses to same-sex couples — claiming doing so would violate her religious beliefs as an Apostolic Christian.
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Davis, who said she was being forced to choose between “my conscience or my freedom,” spent five days in jail in September after failing to perform her official duties. Her deputy clerks were tasked with issuing the licenses.
In a news release, Bevin said he has ordered new marriage license forms to be created to ensure that “sincerely held religious beliefs of all Kentuckians are honored.”
Bevin, a Republican, assumed office earlier this month after his predecessor, Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear, was ineligible for re-election because of term limits. Davis’ attorneys had sued Beshear and another state official for allegedly violating her religious freedom.
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