Ky. County Clerk Defies Supreme Court by Refusing Same-Sex Marriage Licenses

A Kentucky county clerk went against the state Supreme Court on Tuesday by continuing to refuse to issue same-sex marriage licenses based on religious grounds.

Rowan County clerk Kim Davis refused to issue marriage licenses to multiple same-sex couples on Tuesday, reportedly telling the couples that she was "under the authority of God" to refuse to issue the licenses.

Although the same-sex couples called the local sheriff to arrest Davis for her refusal, the sheriff reportedly refused, suggesting that the federal court will decide what will happen next and suggesting that all protesters, camera crew and office workers at the Rowan County clerk's office could be arrested for disorderly conduct.

While Davis was awarded a stay while she appealed the order that she had to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, that stay expired on August 31, and the state Supreme Court denied Davis' request to extend the stay as she continues the appeals process.

According to CNN, attorneys for Davis have argued in court documents that Davis' "conscience forbids her from approving a (same-sex marriage) license -- because the prescribed form mandates that she authorize the proposed union and issue a license bearing her own name and imprimatur."

The lawyers added that in Davis' belief system, same-sex marriage "is not, in fact, marriage."

The documents add that if Davis were to issue a same-sex license, the act would "forever echo in her conscience."

Daniel J. Canon, an attorney representing some of the couples seeking the marriage licenses, told the New York Times that Davis is "certainly in contempt of court by any definition of the term, so the District Court has an array of sanctions it can resort to, to deal with that."