Breaking Christian News

Kentucky Clerk, Jailed for Refusing to Sign Gay 'Marriage' Licenses, Changes Political Parties, and Runs for Re-election

Fr. Mark Hodges : Jan 12, 2018
LifeSiteNews.com

With the help of Liberty Counsel, Davis defended her right to believe in marriage and fought her contempt conviction all the way to the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

(Rowan County, KY)—[LifeSiteNews.com] The Kentucky woman who became famous for refusing to sign homosexual "marriage" licenses and spent nearly a week in jail for her Christian convictions has officially registered for re-election. (Photo: via CNN)

Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis announced in November that she would run for a second term, but this time as a Republican. She switched parties after her confrontation with the court system over same-sex "marriage."

After the U.S. Supreme Court's 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision imposed homosexual "marriage" nationwide, Davis refused to sign county-issued licenses. She said that as a Christian, she believed marriage was exclusively the union of one woman and one man.

"It's a Heaven or Hell decision," Davis asserted. While she said she has "no animosity toward anyone," she refused to violate "marriage and God's Word."

Even after U.S. District Court Judge David Bunning ordered her to sanction same-sex "marriage" with her signature, she refused because of her sincerely-held beliefs. With the help of Liberty Counsel, Davis argued that the U.S. Constitution, the Kentucky Constitution, and the Kentucky Religious Freedom Restoration Act protected her from being forced to give the licenses.

Bunning did not agree and sent her to jail.

Then-presidential primary candidate Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) called Davis' imprisonment "tyranny" designed to drive Christians from public office. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee agreed, saying, "I am appalled at our government's willingness to accommodate the religious beliefs of all religions but Christianity."

Six days later, the same judge ordered her released, changing his ruling: Davis was not required to personally sign licenses and she must not interfere with other clerks signing them.

Davis maintained her position that she would not sign because to do so would constitute her participation in something the Bible deems sinful. And, she changed the license form so it did not mention the county or her name.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued to force Davis to issue the old certificates with her signature, something Liberty Counsel's Mat Staver called a "bully tactic." Judge Bunning turned the ACLU down, deciding that Davis' revised certificates were legal.

Davis insisted that from the beginning all she asked for was a reasonable accommodation to remove her name as the Clerk of Rowan County from the marriage licenses. With the help of Liberty Counsel, Davis defended her right to believe in marriage and fought her contempt conviction all the way to the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals...

Continue reading here.