Clerk stays in jail after she refuses to back down in gay marriage case

A defiant Christian clerk was jailed on Thursday for refusing to issue marriage licences to gay couples. Kim Davis was led away to prison by marshals in Kentucky after she was found to be in contempt of court. During further hearings five of her six deputies agreed to issue the licences but Ms Davis remained locked up after she said she would not grant them authority.

My conscience will not allow me.

Kim Davis

The 49-year-old Rowan County Clerk, who has emerged as a darling of social conservatives, has refused to issue licenses to any couples, gay or straight, citing her beliefs as an Apostolic Christian. “Marriage is a union between one man and one woman,” the soft-spoken Davis told the court before she was led away. The only deputy to refuse to grant licences was her son, Nathan, who was not jailed.

There’s a rule of law, and the principle of the rule of law is central to our democracy. And it’s appropriate in this instance for a federal judge to determine the best way to enforce the law.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest

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