ACLU Says Kentucky Clerk Should Have to Reissue Licenses

The American Civil Liberties Union says a Kentucky county clerk's office should reissue altered marriage licenses even though the governor has promised to recognize them as valid.

Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis stopped issuing marriage licenses after a U.S. Supreme Court decision effectively legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. Two gay couples and two straight couples sued her. Davis lost and spent five days in jail for refusing to obey a judge's order. Her deputies issued the licenses in her absence. When she got out of jail, she altered the marriage licenses to remove her name and the county's name.

Gov. Steve Beshear said that the altered licenses do not comply with state law but that he would recognize them anyway. Lawyers for the couples said Friday in a court filing the altered licenses could later be ruled invalid.