A Kentucky county clerk was jailed on Thursday after refusing to grant a marriage license to a gay couple, the New York Times has reported.
Kim Davis, whose religious beliefs oppose gay marriage, was detained for contempt of court and rejected a proposal to allow her deputies to process same-sex marriage licenses so she wouldn’t have to – a proposal which could have allowed her release.
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Judge David L. Bunning of United States District Court said:
“The court cannot condone the willful disobedience of its lawfully issued order […] If you give people the opportunity to choose which orders they follow, that’s what potentially causes problems.”
Davis, 49, is one of three county clerks in Kentucky (out of 120) who argue that their religious beliefs prevent them from recognizing same sex nuptials.
Thai divorce attorneys Chaninat and Leeds have decades of experience successfully handling divorces on behalf of their clients, both Thai nationals and foreigners in Thailand.
Roger Gannam, a lawyer for Ms Davis, criticized the ruling and implied a sharp warning to fellow Christians.
“Today, for the first time in history, an American citizen has been incarcerated for having the belief of conscience that marriage is the union of one man and one woman […] And she’s been ordered to stay there until she’s willing to change her mind, until she’s willing to change her conscience about what belief is.”
Josh Earnest, press secretary for the White House, said that it was not up to Ms. Davis to defy the Supreme Court.
“Every public official in our democracy is subject to the rule of law […] No one is above the law. That applies to the president of the United States and that applies to the county clerk of Rowan County, Ky., as well.”
See more on this story here and here.
Go here to learn about marriage laws in Thailand.
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