Nation briefs 2/10/16

Clerk obeys orders in gay-marriage case

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A federal judge ruled Kentucky clerk Kim Davis has obeyed his orders in the months since she spent five nights in jail for refusing to license same-sex marriages. U.S. District Judge David Bunning wrote Tuesday that Davis has allowed her deputies to issue marriage licenses and dismissed a request from the American Civil Liberties Union to consider ordering her to reissue licenses she altered to remove her name. After the U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage last summer, Davis refused to allow her office to issue marriage licenses. She relented during a court battle but altered the licenses. The ACLU asked the judge to make her reissue the marriage licenses. Bunning on Tuesday found that request to be "moot"; he said the altered licenses are valid.

Manslaughter charge possible in Flint case

LANSING, Mich. -- Flint's water crisis, after a switch in the drinking-water source allowed dangerous levels of lead and potentially caused deadly cases of Legionnaires' disease, could result in criminal charges as serious as involuntary manslaughter, a top investigator said Tuesday. Todd Flood, appointed as special counsel by Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette last month, said manslaughter charges could be on the table if government officials were grossly negligent in their handling of the city's water switch and the aftermath. "It's not far-fetched," Flood said, pointing to past charges against people for deaths on construction sites.

Bill halts removal of rebel monuments

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- As some cities mull taking down Confederate monuments that dot the Old South, an Alabama legislator wants to stop their ability to do so. Republican Sen. Gerald Allen of Tuscaloosa has proposed legislation that would prohibit cities from taking down historic monuments and memorials on public property without permission from a legislative panel. A similar bill failed to win approval last year. The New Orleans City Council in December voted to take down four monuments. The city of Birmingham has explored removing a Confederate memorial from a park. Gov. Robert Bentley removed four Confederate flags from the Alabama Capitol.

-- From wire reports