Kentucky Clerk STILL won't issue Same-Sex Marriage Licenses

[jdnotbyrider]

..... AFTER THE SUPREME FUCKING COURT TOLD HER TO STOP REFUSING. 

________________________________________________________________________________________________

www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/kentucky-clerk-still-wont-issue-same-sex-marriage-licenses/ar-AAdPd4u?ocid=fbmsn

A county clerk in Kentucky has again refused to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, invoking her religious beliefs and "God's authority" — this time in defiance of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling against her.

On Tuesday morning, Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis remained in her office, door and blinds closed, as the first licenses were denied. But she emerged just a few minutes later, telling the couples and activists gathered there that her office still won't issue licenses "under God's authority."

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to intervene in the case, leaving Davis no legal grounds to refuse to grant the licenses. A district judge could now hold her in contempt of court, which can carry steep fines or jail time.

But lawyers for the two gay couples who originally sued in the case said in a motion Tuesday that they want Davis punished with only financial penalties — no jail time.

The motion to U.S. District Judge David Bunning says the couples "regrettably" seek to hold the clerk in contempt but "do not seek to compel Davis' compliance through incarceration."

Bunning will probably hold a hearing for the couples to present evidence, which could include testimony from Davis.

As an elected official, Davis can't be fired.

Davis asked David Moore and David Ermold to leave her office after they were denied a license Tuesday morning — the couple's fourth rejection. They refused, surrounded by reporters and cameras.

"We're not leaving until we have a license," Ermold said.

"Then you're going to have a long day," Davis told him.

From the back of the room, Davis' supporters said: "Praise the Lord! ... Stand your ground."

Other activists shouted that Davis is a bigot and told her: "Do your job."

Davis was elected last November as a Democrat. She took over the office from her mother, who served as county clerk for 37 years, according to the Morehead News.

Davis stopped issuing all marriage licenses after the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage across the nation. Two gay couples and two straight couples sued her, arguing that she must fulfill her duties as an elected official despite her personal religious faith. A federal judge ordered her to issue the licenses, and an appeals court upheld that decision. Her lawyers with the Liberty Counsel filed a last-ditch appeal to the Supreme Court on Friday, asking that they grant her "asylum for her conscience."

Justice Elena Kagan, who oversees the 6th district, referred Davis' request to the full court, which denied the stay without comment.

On Tuesday, shortly after Davis' remarks in her office, the sheriff's office cleared the room and building of those gathered to support both sides of the issue.

The two groups lined up on the lawn, on either side of the courthouse entrance to chant at each other. Randy Smith, leading the group supporting Davis, said that "at the end of the day, we have to stand before God, which has higher authority than the Supreme Court."

The couple Ermold and Moore, together for 17 years, cried and swayed as they eventually left the clerk's office. Davis' supporters marched by, chanting.

"I feel sad, I feel devastated," Ermold said. "I feel like I've been humiliated on such a national level, I can't even comprehend it."

The clerk's husband, Joe Davis, came by to check on his wife. He said she has received death threats but remains committed to her faith and is "standing for God."

Joe Davis said he believes in the Second Amendment and is not afraid: "I'm an old redneck hillbilly, that's all I've got to say. Don't come knocking on my door."

He pointed to the gay rights protesters gathered on the courthouse lawn and said: "They want us to accept their beliefs and their ways. But they won't accept our beliefs and our ways."

[underwaterrhymes]

Oh FUCK this woman and her husband and all of their supporters.

[ECB]

She needs to be fired. She isn't doing her job.

[mominatrix]

She needs to be hauled off by federal marshals and jailed for contempt.




Edit, typo

[cattledogkisses]

Time to start hitting her with some heavy fines.

[debatethis]

Sept 1, 2015 10:50:23 GMT -5 underwaterrhymes said:

Oh FUCK this woman and her husband and all of their supporters.

I read someplace that her son is the deputy? Is that true?

[ECB]

Sept 1, 2015 10:53:19 GMT -5 Lucy Honeychurch said:

Sept 1, 2015 10:49:59 GMT -5 ECB said:

She needs to be fired. She isn't doing her job.

They can't fire her.  She's an elected official.  They can impeach her, but it's considered unlikely because Kentucky and the Bible and Go Jesus. 

Dammit! 

Actually, after I wrote that, I realized she was elected and knew this was impossible.

But still - dammit!

[runforrest]

I hate people.

I feel like ignoring a ruling from SCOTUS should qualify as treason or something.

[cattledogkisses]

Could Mr. Fourth Husband there sound like any more of an ignorant hick? Lol. Jesus and guns, y'all!!

[CrazyLucky]

I am SO SICK of this argument:
"They want us to accept their beliefs and their ways. But they won't accept our beliefs and our ways."

Why do they not get they if their beliefs encroach on anyone else's rights, the beliefs SHOULDN'T be accepted?

[debatethis]

Sept 1, 2015 10:55:45 GMT -5 Lucy Honeychurch said:

The ACLU filed a motion for contempt. www.aclu-ky.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/re.67.contempt.mot_.pdf

She denied them today "pending appeal", according to this. Where does she plan on appealing? The Supreme Court already said no. And I love that the ACLU is going after her for fines and penalties instead of jail time. Yank all $80k of that salary and see how much she cries persecution.

[aurora]

Sept 1, 2015 11:03:30 GMT -5 debatethis said:

Sept 1, 2015 10:55:45 GMT -5 Lucy Honeychurch said:

The ACLU filed a motion for contempt. www.aclu-ky.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/re.67.contempt.mot_.pdf

She denied them today "pending appeal", according to this. Where does she plan on appealing? The Supreme Court already said no. And I love that the ACLU is going after her for fines and penalties instead of jail time. Yank all $80k of that salary and see how much she cries persecution.

God, obviously.

[aurora]

mryrcn, I'm uncomfortable with making this about her looks.

Her actions/reprehensible beliefs are plenty bad enough to make me dislike her.

[lyssbobiss, Command, B613]

I'm angry with her. I'm angry that she has received an outrageous amount of money for not doing her job. I hate that her Pentecostal haired ass thinks she's speaking for God. I hate that an elected official cannot differentiate between church and state. This is a fucking circus. This broad with her narrow biblical interpretation and her four marriages is hurting families everywhere. Fuck her so hard. I hope God takes one look at her sorry ass and says "bitch What the fuck was all that?"

[sfy]

K. I'm just ready for her to do this jail time and pay what I hope is a wildly exorbitant fine.

[smock]

I'm wondering about the connection between her case and pharmacists who refuse to give birth control or emergency contraception. Is part of the distinction about the harm caused to the "customer"--i.e. you can't get a marriage license in Rowan County, so you have to go to another county, versus being served by another pharmacist or visiting a (presumably close?) different pharmacy.

Still, if Davis' argument rests on her "religious freedom" to deny marriage licenses, can the SCOTUS rejection potentially expand to pharmacists who refuse service based on their religious beliefs?

[fortnightlily]

Sept 1, 2015 11:45:36 GMT -5 smock said:

I'm wondering about the connection between her case and pharmacists who refuse to give birth control or emergency contraception. Is part of the distinction about the harm caused to the "customer"--i.e. you can't get a marriage license in Rowan County, so you have to go to another county, versus being served by another pharmacist or visiting a (presumably close?) different pharmacy.

Still, if Davis' argument rests on her "religious freedom" to deny marriage licenses, can the SCOTUS rejection potentially expand to pharmacists who refuse service based on their religious beliefs?

Also, much as I think medical professionals and pharmacists who behave this way are jerks, there's a difference when they're not employed by the government to perform a civic duty and paid by the taxpayers.

[jeaniebueller]

Why can't these dipshits see that allowing someone to refuse to honor someone else's civil rights because of your religion is a bad, bad idea?

[blink]

I hate her and I hope they slap so many fines and penalties on her, compounded for each day she refused to do her job.

[ECB]

Sept 1, 2015 12:16:38 GMT -5 Dig Ophelia said:

Sept 1, 2015 12:05:00 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

Why can't these dipshits see that allowing someone to refuse to honor someone else's civil rights because of your religion is a bad, bad idea?

Because they believe that they are right (and righteous) and they, alone, hold the truth, and are therefore better people and more deserving of special treatment and privileges.  This has nothing to do with other people or the so-called immorality of other people's actions.  It's about the psychotic need to feel chosen and special and deserved of rewards and recognition.  

And holy hell, does that scare me.

[emilyj]

Sept 1, 2015 11:03:02 GMT -5 CrazyLucky said:

I am SO SICK of this argument:
"They want us to accept their beliefs and their ways. But they won't accept our beliefs and our ways."

Why do they not get they if their beliefs encroach on anyone else's rights, the beliefs SHOULDN'T be accepted?

YES.  That argument drives me crazy.

No one is running in to their churches, trying to shut them down, telling them they can't pray in their homes, or worship God as they see fit.

Your beliefs don't get to exist when you are a publicly elected official receiving taxpayer money for your salary.  Sorry, wrong.  

[debatethis]

Sept 1, 2015 12:16:38 GMT -5 Dig Ophelia said:

Sept 1, 2015 12:05:00 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

Why can't these dipshits see that allowing someone to refuse to honor someone else's civil rights because of your religion is a bad, bad idea?

Because they believe that they are right (and righteous) and they, alone, hold the truth, and are therefore better people and more deserving of special treatment and privileges.  This has nothing to do with other people or the so-called immorality of other people's actions.  It's about the psychotic need to feel chosen and special and deserved of rewards and recognition.  

I think there is an element of this at play, but frankly I think most Pentecostals are looking at it from a self-fulfilling prophesy of end times theology more than anything. They believe that we are living in the days right before Jesus will come back to earth, and that Christians will be persecuted for their beliefs. They "prove" this by doing stupid shit like breaking "anti-Christian" laws and then they go "See!! Told you!! Persecution for our faith!! Save us, Jesus!!"

[jln]

"You hold your hand to a Bible and swear to uphold the Constitution. You don't hold your hand to the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible."

[gault]

This woman. Jesus Christ.

[mrshandy]

What an idiot?!? and probably a hypocrite. I'm sure she's married a billion couples where the wife is knocked up. I bet that goes against her religious beliefs. Yet she still performs them.

Time to impeach this dumbass for not doing her job.

Disgusting.

[MrsAxilla]

Sept 1, 2015 13:07:25 GMT -5 mrshandy said:

What an idiot?!? and probably a hypocrite. I'm sure she's married a billion couples where the wife is knocked up. I bet that goes against her religious beliefs. Yet she still performs them.

Time to impeach this dumbass for not doing her job.

Disgusting.

She doesn't actually perform marriages at all.  She simply issues licenses, much like the DMV.

[downtoearth]

Fine her. I don't care if the religious-right or anti-gays pay for her fines, just keep fining her and taking that money from them and putting it back in the city/county/state coffers for other programs.

[Deleted]

I hope for jail to be honest. Fines wont work - i reckon she wants fines. As soon as they fine her, she will get donations to pay for them. Weve seen this before with the wedding cakes thing.

[Deleted]

And then it will drag on and on, denying the couples the right to marry for longer.

[MrsAxilla]

Sept 1, 2015 14:09:27 GMT -5 @eveer said:

And then it will drag on and on, denying the couples the right to marry for longer.

True.  If she's in jail, someone else will issue the licenses.