U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis.
Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., urged Attorney General Loretta Lynch to ensure same-sex couples face no barriers to receiving marriage licenses. The statement came after Kim Davis, a Kentucky county clerk, has denied issuing marriage licenses on religious grounds.
“The Supreme Court once again demonstrated marriage equality is the law of the land,” Pocan said in a statement. “The unconstitutional actions by this county clerk underscore the need for the Department of Justice to take any and all necessary steps to ensure same-sex couples have immediate and complete access to their fundamental right to marry. States and localities failing to comply with the Constitution should be met with swift action by the federal government including the loss of federal dollars.”
Pocan, who is gay, was one of 56 members of Congress to send a letter to Lynch in July requesting her office take any necessary actions to ensure couples are not denied marriage licenses.
Davis, a Democrat, was jailed on contempt of court charges after refusing to allow her deputy clerks to issue licenses after calls by Kentucky’s governor and attorney general to issue licenses. A same-sex couple that has continuously been denied marriage licenses by her office filed the latest lawsuit yesterday.
