A federal judge on Thursday found Kim
Davis, the elected clerk of Rowan County, Kentucky, in contempt for
defying a ruling ordering her to issue marriage licenses to all
qualified couples.
Rather than serve gay and lesbian
couples after the Supreme Court struck down gay marriage bans in all
50 states, Davis stopped issuing marriage licenses altogether and
vowed never to issue a marriage license to a gay couple because it
would conflict with her religious beliefs.
On Monday, the Supreme Court refused to
intervene in the case. Despite having exhausted all of her legal
options, Davis continued to turn away gay couples.
“The court cannot condone the willful
disobedience of its lawfully issued order,” said Judge David L.
Bunning of Federal District Court. “If you give people the
opportunity to choose which orders they follow, that's what
potentially causes problems.”
Bunning ordered Davis jailed. He said
she would be released once she agreed to comply with his order.
Lawyers representing the four couples,
two of whom are gay, who initially sued Davis asked Bunning to hold
her in contempt, arguing that she “continues to collect
compensation from the Commonwealth for duties she fails to perform.”
The lawyers asked the judge to fine the clerk, but not to jail her.
Davis, who has rejected calls for her
resignation, on Tuesday said that issuing such licenses would lead
her to hell.
“To issue a marriage license which
conflicts with God's definition of marriage, with my name affixed to
the certificate, would violate my conscience,” she said. “It is
not a light issue for me. It is a heaven or hell decision.”
Supporters and opponents of Davis
clashed outside the federal courthouse in Ashland. Opponents waved
rainbow flags and said she should do her job, while supporters said
that she had a right to follow her beliefs.
2 comments:
SHE'S BREAKING THE LAW-PERIOD. JUST BECAUSE ONE DOES NOT LIKE A LAW OR IT CONFLICTS WITH YOUR PERSONAL BELIEFS RELIGIOUS OR SECULAR OR ONE'S RIGHT OF SELF DETERMINATION IS NOT JUSTIFICATION FOR CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR. IF YOU RUN A RED LIGHT OR A STOP SIGN WHILE DRIVING YOU ARE BREAKING THE LAW. IF SHE REFUSED TO ISSUE MARRIAGE LICENSES TO MIXED RACE COUPLES BECAUSE IT CONFLICTED WITH HER PERSONAL BELIEFS SHE WOULD BE BREAKING THE LAW. THERE ARE MANY ANALOGIES YOU CAN USE BUT THE RESULT IS THE SAME- THIS WOMAN IS WRONG ON ALL LEVELS- AND ABSOLUTE POWER CORRUPTS ABSOLUTELY - AND HURTS PEOPLE. SHE HURTS GAY PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY ARE DIFFERENT FROM HER. SHE HURT ALL THE STRAIGHT PEOPLE IN THAT COUNTY WHO WANTED TO GET MARRIED SO SHE COULD SAY SHE WAS NOT DISCRIMINATING AGAINST GAYS. HER ACTIONS AND STANCE AND REFUSAL TO OBEY THE LAW ARE BASED ON HER F-E-A-R. UNFORTUNATELY IT TOOK A LAW SUIT TO GET THIS INTO THE COURT SYSTEM. IT SHOULD NOT HAVE TAKEN THAT LONG FOR SOMEONE TO PULL HER UP SHORT AND CHARGE HER WITH BREAKING A SUPREME COURT DECISION ON EQUALITY. GEE I HOPE THERE ARE NO TOUGH LESBIANS IN THE JAILHOUSE CAUSE SHE MIGHT HAVE DIFFICULTIES....YOU THINK.?
They should lock her up and throw away the key. I hope they are not still paying her while she is in the hoosgow. Maybe her lose of salary will make her change her mind. Whatever, I'm sure she did not come up with this idea on her own. I feel sure that some big anti-gay marriage organization has talked her into this, is backing her up and probably giving her a big chunk of cash to do it. What a bitch.
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