Accused of altering forms
The attorney for Brian Mason, one of Davis’ deputy clerks, says he believes Davis has again violated her federal court order by altering marriage license forms by removing her name, making Mason initial the form instead of sign it, and then requiring the form to be notarized. The attorney says it is “really bizarre” that Davis would alter the forms.
A notary has nothing to do with it. Unless she’s got a really good reason, and I’ll certainly be patient and wait to hear it, the only inference I personally can draw from it is she is trying to circumvent the court’s order.
In a separate filing, ACLU attorneys for the gay couples who sued Davis say that the changes on the form require Mason to issue the licenses “in his capacity as a ‘notary public’ rather than a deputy clerk of the Rowan County Clerk’s Office,” changes that “do not comply” with the court’s order to not interfere with her employees who issue the licenses.
These alterations call into question the validity of the marriage licenses issued. Plaintiffs are exploring legal options to address these material alterations.
Establishes ACLU Women’s Rights Project
Ginsburg establishes the ACLU Women’s Rights Project. This was the major, and sometimes the only, national legal arm of the growing movement for gender equality, recognized as the spokesperson for women’s interests in the Supreme Court, and the “premier” representative of women’s rights interests in that forum. The Project works to enforce women’s statutory rights, including the rights to equal employment opportunities guaranteed under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act6 and the Equal Pay Act. Early cases challenge the constitutionality of sex discrimination, specifically measuring the constitutionality of sex-based classifications and striking down discriminatory Social Security regulations.