Jailed Kentucky clerk refuses to compromise in gay marriage case

A defiant county clerk in Kentucky who has refused to issue marriage licenses to gay couples says she will not accept a compromise that would have let her out of jail. Attorneys for gay couples had proposed that Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis be let out of custody if she promised not to interfere with her deputies, but the clerk refused.

My conscience will not allow me.

Kim Davis

Five of the six deputies have told U.S. District Judge David Bunning that that they will issue the licenses, though some of them said they were reluctant to do so. The lone holdout is Davis’ son. The judge says he won’t face any fine or jail time since the other deputies have agreed to issue the licenses.

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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