Kim Davis Refuses To Quit, Chooses To Stay In Jail — Lawyer Calls Her A ‘Prisoner Of Her Conscience’

The highly controversial Kentucky clerk Kim Davis is sticking to her religious convictions, refusing to resign from her job and expecting the local government to give in first.

According to NBC, Kim Davis spent a night in jail after she and her employees chose not to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, despite the Supreme Court ruling that legalizes gay marriage in all 50 states. The clerk is holding out for a federal judge, the governor, or a group of legislators to come to her defense and provide her with a personal exemption.

Kim Davis is reportedly unwilling to resign her position at the court until she is permitted to deny marriage licenses to gay couples on the grounds of her sincerely held religious beliefs. This means the clerk is planning to stay behind bars until someone grants her requests. Her lawyer, Mat Staver, spoke to reporters outside Carter County Detention Center on Friday.

“She is a prisoner of her conscience, if you will,” he said.

While many people have criticized Kim Davis for breaking the law and disobeying a federal mandate, she seems to be perceived as a martyr among more conservative voters who respect her for standing up for her values. As the Inquisitr previously reported, presidential candidate Mike Huckabee outspokenly supports Kim Davis, and even called her on the phone to commend her for her religious conviction.

It may seem unlikely that a federal judge will defy the Supreme Court ruling by granting religious clerks like Kim Davis the freedom to deny marriage licenses, but Staver claims it wouldn’t require much effort to give Davis what she wants.

“It would be a reasonable accommodation if her name and authority were taken off the licenses,” Staver said.

But in order for that to happen, lawmakers would have to alter state law to grant Kim Davis specific authority to refuse licenses in Rowan County. While Staver claims there would be “easy ways to resolve this,” it would require an executive order from Governor Steve Beshear. If nobody comes to the rescue of Kim Davis, she could remain in jail indefinitely.

Meanwhile, Kim Davis is still facing charges for acting in contempt of court, as ordered by Judge David Bunning. The charges will be removed if she agrees to issue the marriage licenses, but at this point that seems unlikely.

“The court cannot condone the willful disobedience of its lawfully issued order,” said Judge Bunning, according to the New York Times. “If you give people the opportunity to choose which orders they follow, that’s what potentially causes problems.”

What do you think? Will Kim Davis give up the fight?

[Image credit: Ty Wright / Getty Images]