TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Amelia Ferrell Knisely on Sep 3, 2015

U.S. District Judge David Bunning ordered Kentucky clerk Kim Davis to jail after Davis refused to issue marriage licenses to gay couples based on religious objections, WDRB reports. Bunning said allowing an individual’s beliefs to supersede the court’s authority would set a dangerous precedent. "I myself have genuinely held religious beliefs, but I took an oath," Bunning said. Davis’ deputies also face fines or jail time if they do not issue marriage licenses to all applicants while Davis is held in contempt. An attorney with Liberty Counsel, a religious freedom group representing Davis and other officials refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses, argued that the deputy clerks cannot issue licenses against Davis' authority. Bunning overruled the objection.