Ky. County Clerk's Request for Delay in Issuing Gay Marriage Licenses Denied
A U.S. district judge has denied a Kentucky county clerk from using her religious beliefs as a reason to refuse to issue same-sex marriage licenses.
Kim Davis, clerk of Rowan County, has until this Monday to convince U.S. District Judge David L. Bunning as to why she should be able to refrain from issuing same-sex marriage licenses.
This week, Davis had requested a delay in issuing marriage licenses from Bunning, arguing that her Christian faith prevents her from issuing the licenses. Her delay was rejected.
Mathew Staver, founder of the Liberty Counsel, the legal group representing Davis, told The Washington Times that Davis' plight is one of many county clerks in the U.S., and the issue may ultimately need to be decided in the U.S. Supreme Court.
"Kim Davis is just an example of what's going to be happening not only to other clerks but to other people who are going to be confronted with this issue and we think that this is a serious matter that needs to be decided by a higher court, even the Supreme Court," Staver said.
Staver added to NPR that "You can't just simply ignore religious convictions. That's why we have the first amendment."
Gay couples who have attempted to receive marriage licenses from Rowan County have also filed legal complaints against Davis for her refusal to issue them.
"Upon asking a deputy clerk for a marriage license application, Ms. Roberts and I were informed that the Rowan County Clerk's office will not issue any marriage licenses," plaintiff April Miller, who was turned away from receiving a license with her partner Karen Roberts, told Reuters recently.
