New Kentucky Republican Gov. Matt Bevin issued an executive order Tuesday mandating the state prepare new marriage licenses that do not include the names of county clerks who issue them as a way to "ensure that the sincerely held religious beliefs of all Kentuckians are honored."
The measure was pushed forward after Kim Davis, a clerk in Rowan County, ignited a national firestorm because she defied a judge's order and served five days in jail in September for refusing to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples, claiming doing so would violate her religious beliefs as an Apostolic Christian. Davis said she was being forced to choose between "my conscience or my freedom," reported NPR.
Bevin said his measure would solve a real problem that benefits all. "Today, I took action to uphold several commitments I made during my campaign so that we can implement real solutions that will help the people of Kentucky," said Bevin in a press release, reported Politico.
However, critics of the governor's move say he doesn't have the authority to carry out the executive order.
"The requirement that the county clerk’s name appear on marriage licenses is prescribed by Kentucky law and is not subject to unilateral change by the governor — conceded by the previous administration in court filings," said William Sharp, Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, in a statement, according to NBC News. "Today, however, a new administration claims to have that authority."
Don Blevins, another county clerk who serves the state's second largest city, Lexington, said he believes Bevin is creating a problem of historic record, according to the Associated Press, saying, "Hundreds of years from now, these licenses will be used by genealogists and researchers. Having the names of all the parties involved is very important when you're talking about a permanent record, for purely practical purposes." He added: "I'm not pleased at all by this. This has gotten out of hand."
The order, which is expected to go into effect immediately, is one of five introduced Tuesday and the first Bevin has issued since taking office earlier this month after his predecessor, Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear, was ineligible for re-election because of term limits.