Kentucky clerk faces judgment day in same-sex marriage dispute

A county clerk in Kentucky who refuses to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples on religious grounds heads to U.S. federal court on Thursday where a judge could hold her in contempt for defying his order to do so.

Lawyers for Kim Davis, the elected Rowan County clerk who is an Apostolic Christian, on Wednesday asked U.S. District Judge David Bunning to temporarily block his order requiring her to issue marriage licenses while she appeals.

Davis has refused to issue licenses to any couples, gay or straight, since the U.S. Supreme Court in June ruled that same-sex couples have the right to marry under the U.S. Constitution, citing her religious beliefs.

Before the hearing, about 200 demonstrators on both sides gathered outside the courthouse, some chanting slogans and many holding signs.

Davis denies gay couples marriage licenses:

Warren Howard of Ashland said he wants Davis to do her job or quit.

"Seems like every time something backwards happens, Kentucky's on the sides of the backwardness," he said. "And the thing about it is, it's not true. Most of the people I speak to realize this shouldn't have went on for as long as it has."

More came out to show support for Davis. One man held a sign saying, "Don't make a moral wrong, a civil right."

Theresa Craig from nearby Carter County, Kentucky, said the courts were a disgrace for not backing Davis.

"Ms. Kim Davis, she's doing the right thing," Craig said. "She's just standing up for her God, which as Christians we need to do."

SEE ALSO: Kim Davis dealt with nepotism charges

Back in Morehead, Kentucky, phones at the clerk's office rang busy and a sign on the door from Davis said the office was closed for the day as she and her staff appear in Ashland for the hearing. Davis said the office would reopen on Friday.

In July, four couples filed a federal lawsuit challenging Davis' policy not to issue licenses and Bunning in August ruled for the couples, finding that Davis had to live up to her official duties as a county clerk despite her religious beliefs.

Davis has appealed his order to the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, which turned down her request for a stay pending appeal last week. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday also turned down her request for an emergency stay.

Same-sex couples on Tuesday filed a motion asking Bunning to hold her in contempt of court, seeking fines but no jail time.

"To me this has never been a gay or lesbian issue," Davis said in a statement this week. "It is about marriage and God's word. It is a matter of religious liberty."

Davis is represented by Liberty Counsel, a Florida-based Christian religious advocacy organization, which said in court papers on Wednesday an injunction would halt the "irreversible implications on Davis' conscience" while she appeals the case.

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear, a Democrat, ordered all county clerks to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, but said he had no authority over Davis' office. Davis is also a Democrat.

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