US Supreme Court petition seeks to overturn 2015 legalization of same-sex marriage

Kim Davis, the former Kentucky county clerk jailed in 2015 for declining to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples citing religious objections, has formally petitioned the US Supreme Court to overturn its 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges.

The landmark ruling legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. Davis’s petition for a writ of certiorari seeks a rehearing of the case and argues that the decision was “egregiously wrong.” Her attorney, Mathew Staver, said the ruling was a mistake that “must be corrected.”

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The filing asserts that Davis’s refusal to issue marriage licenses was protected under the First Amendment and her right to freedom of religion.

The petition comes amid renewed discussion within some religious and political groups about the precedent. In June, Southern Baptists voted to endorse a ban on same-sex marriage, including a formal call to reverse the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision.

Public opinion polling shows shifting attitudes over the past decade. Gallup reported that in 2015, 60 per cent of Americans supported same-sex marriage. That figure rose to 70 per cent in 2025. However, Republican support for same-sex marriage has declined from 55 per cent in 2021 to 41 per cent in 2025.

The Supreme Court has not yet indicated whether it will hear Davis’s case. If accepted, it would be the first time since the original ruling that the justices have agreed to consider overturning the legalization of same-sex marriage.