That Kentucky Clerk

You have to admire the guts of a woman who tells the Supreme Court that it can go jump. Dad29 wonders if the US Marshals will be sent to forcibly remove her from her office, while pointing out that the Obama administration has ignored SCOTUS rulings on several points lately. Ed Morrissey takes the responsible conservative line and points out that the government must obey the rule of law, and that someone who works for the government ought therefore obey the law or else resign. Of course, that's true for the President and the EPA, too.

7 comments:

MikeD said...

Frankly, if your job requires you to perform duties you find morally objectionable, then your option is to perform them or quit. If you believe that it makes you a victim of discrimination, then fine... sue. But I'm extremely uncomfortable with the idea that a public servant is attempting to dictate to their employer (the public) which aspects of their job they will or will not perform. If a private employer wants to tolerate insubordination like that, it's up to them.

E Hines said...

Of course, that's true for the President and the EPA, too.

The failure of one does not excuse the failure of another. What Mike said.

Eric Hines

Texan99 said...

I'm queasy about civil disobedience by someone drawing a public paycheck. If the situation is dire enough to rebel, it's dire enough to find another job--or perhaps such a level of civil collapse already has been reached that there's no one writing the paychecks any more.

Gosh, it's tempting, though, in the spirit of tit for tat. I remind myself that the solution for brazen contempt for the law by public officials is supposed to be at the ballot box if it can't be entirely (or timely) accomplished through the courts. And some of the judicial proceedings lately aren't going too badly.

Cassandra said...

Frankly, if your job requires you to perform duties you find morally objectionable, then your option is to perform them or quit.

Yep.

Tom said...

Oh, dangit, I have to agree with you folks.

On the other hand, we aren't prosecuting the president, secretary of state, IRS, DOJ, EPA, etc., for all kinds of illegal activity, some of which got people killed, so let's make a list and work our way down. By the time we get to the unrepentant Ms. Davis, it'll probably be time for her to retire, or maybe we'll have to give her grandchildren a stern talking to, if it takes a while. I would be happy with that outcome.

Also, I believe that she's an elected Democrat, so there's precedent for letting her get away with just about any of this kind of thing, up to the deaths of an ambassador and rescuers. Maybe she didn't make that clear in her application to the SCOTUS. You folks are probably racist for criticizing her.

douglas said...

I'm a little wobbly on this one. Mostly because she was elected, not hired as a civil servant, and to a job that did not have that function in its description originally. Marriage certificate are still being issued, both in adjacent counties, and in that county by the county administrator in her stead, so no one is failing to have services provided. If like to hear more arguments from both sides, yet.

Texan99 said...

I'm on board with the prosecutorial approach, even if it means my conscience has grown sadly elastic.