A federal judge finds Kim Davis, the anti-gay Clerk of Courts who refuses to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, in contempt of court.
Davis has been taken into custody by U.S. Marshals, according to the Twitter feed of Victor Puente, a reporter located inside of the courtroom.
This is a breaking news story, and more information will be posted to this article as it becomes available. Watch this space for updates.
1:22 p.m.: Towleroad is reporting that she’ll be jailed until she agrees to issue licenses.
1:27 p.m.: It’s great to know that Orlando’s own Liberty Counsel is defending Davis, because Orlando needs more bad press. At any rate, all we know right now, according to USA Today, is that she’s being jailed.
1:31 p.m.: From the New York Times: “The court cannot condone the willful disobedience of its lawfully issued order,” Judge Bunning said. “If you give people the opportunity to choose which orders they follow, that’s what potentially causes problems.”
1:40 p.m.: Hey, look! Mike Huckabee is delusional and comparing Davis to Abe Lincoln. Seriously.
1:54 p.m.: Ooooooh, did you want to read the Orlando-based Liberty Counsel’s response to Davis’ jailing? Of course you did:
ROWAN COUNTY, KY -Today, Federal Judge Bunning ordered Rowan County, Kentucky, Clerk Kim Davis to be taken into custody by federal marshalls [sic] 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.”
