Kentucky’s brand new governor, Matt Bevin, is about to inherit a hell of a legal bill for his state’s failed attempts at blocking same-sex marriage.
It all started back in February 2014, when a district judge ruled that Kentucky must recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. The state’s Attorney General at the time, Jack Conway, said he would not appeal to ruling. And that’s when the state’s Governor at the time, Steve Beshear, stepped in.
Related: Matt Bevin Is Kentucky’s New Governor. Here Are Five Reasons That’s Bad For Us.
Beshear, an antigay Democrat, hired a group of outside attorneys to defend the state’s ban on same-sex marriage. The case was eventually consolidated with several others to ultimately become Obergefell v. Hodges, the U.S. Supreme Court case that resulted in nationwide marriage equality.
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Since federal law dictates the losing side in a civil rights case must cover the winning side’s legal fees, the Supreme Court ruling meant Beshear, or rather Kentucky taxpayers, were now on the hook for the pro-marriage equality’s attorneys’ direct fees.
Beshear was voted out of office in November and replaced with Republican Matt Bevin earlier this month. Now, Bevin’s offices has announced that, after more than a year of negotiating, the state and pro-marriage equality attorneys’ have almost settled on a number: $2,091,297. That’s up from the state’s initial offer of a paltry $581,000.
They’re still hammering out the details, but we think the moral of this story is already pretty clear: Being a bigot is expensive.
Related: Eight Times Karma Proved A Total B*tch For Some Truly Awful People This Year
h/t: Pink News
Low Country Boy
I love the basic content of the article, but damn, is it too much to read an article on this site that uses correct grammar? “The state’s Attorney General at the time, Jack Conway, said he would not appeal to ruling.” Seriously? How about: “Not appeal THE ruling.” And the “State’s Attorney General.” Thanks for being so educational. What? Does everyone who works there have a fourth grade education?
sanfranca1
Perhaps you meant “…is it too much to ASK TO read an article on this site that uses correct grammar?”
Jon Michael
Karma’s a bitch … bigot!
Ed Hancock
Matt Bevin was pro pot and Jack Conway was ver anti pot and I think that elected Bevin. What gay person would want Kim Davis on their wedding license–I wouldn’t. Not a good article from Queerty.
SpunkyBunks
You don’t hear much about these legal payouts in the mainstream media. I guess straight people don’t want to be reminded how dumb and expensive it was to fight basic civil rights in the first place.
Mark Pawelczak
Beshear was not VOTED OUT, he was term limited. KY elected another anti-same sex Governor with Bevin; That’s KY hillbillies for ya!
billygoat
Good! Well deserved by a bigots’ paradise. The price should have been higher.
GayEGO
This new governor does not seem to be good for Kentucky.