ROWAN COUNTY, KY -Today, Federal Judge Bunning ordered Rowan County, Kentucky, Clerk Kim Davis to be taken into custody by federal marshalls and to remain in jail until she agrees to issue licenses for same-sex marriage bearing her name.
The plaintiffs did not even request incarceration, but Judge Bunning said that financial fines were not enough and ordered her to jail.
Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel, said, "Everyone is stunned at this development. Kim Davis is being treated as a criminal because she cannot violate her conscience. While she may be behind bars for now, Kim Davis is a free woman. Her conscience remains unshackled."
Staver continued, "Kim Davis is a woman of strong faith. She never sought to be in this position. She would rather not be in this predicament. But here she is. All she asks is to be true to God and her conscience. And the tragedy is that there are simple ways to accommodate her convictions. Just remove her name from the marriage licenses. That's all she has asked from the beginning. Today's events will escalate this debate to a new level. This is not the kind of America the Founders envisioned or that most Americans want."
Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics.
