by Thad Turner
Published 3 years ago
Updated 2 years ago
10 min read
Why was she jailed?
Davis refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, defying the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June that legalized same-sex marriage.
Why was she released?
Judge Bunning said in his order Tuesday that he is satisfied the office is issuing marriage licenses to “legally eligible couples, ” and ordered that counsel for the five deputy clerks who agreed to issue such licenses to submit a status report every 14 days to ensure that compliance continues.
What is her faith?
Davis experienced a religious conversion 4½ years ago and became an Apostolic Christian, a faith which has a strict moral code. She attends Solid Rock Apostolic Church in Morehead, the county seat.
Will she resign or step down? Can she be fired?
The governor has no legal authority to remove Davis and cannot use an executive order to relieve her of statutory duties, he said.
Why did Judge David Bunning declare Davis in contempt of court?
District Court Judge David Bunning declared Davis in contempt of court for refusing to issue the licenses and not allowing her six deputy clerks to issue them for her. He said Davis would remain behind bars until she complied.
What did Bunning order Davis to do?
Bunning ordered Davis not to interfere “directly or indirectly” with the efforts of her deputies in those duties, and that “appropriate sanctions will be considered” if she fails to comply with the order.
Where is Kim Davis?
Kim Davis is the elected clerk of Rowan Count y in northeastern Kentucky, along the edge of the Appalachian Mountains.
Awards
Top 100 Litigation Lawyer in the State of Illinois for 2016 by the American Society of Legal Advocates
Publications
Co-Author, Illinois Supreme Court upholds 50/50 split on crossclaim for contribution by one “blameless” principal of a common agent against another, Trial Briefs – Illinois State Bar Association Newsletter, February 13, 2019
About
Kim Davis graduated class salutatorian from Lincoln Law School in 1997 and has practiced law in California for seventeen years. Kim represented clients through a broad spectrum of litigated matters involving family law, personal injury, wrongful death, premises liability, public entity liability, equine and environmental group challenges.
Owner
Aggressive advocate for business and individual clients concerning commercial, insurance, personal injury and agricultural law
Who Is Kim Davis?
Kim Davis is the elected clerk of Rowan County in northeastern Kentucky, along the edge of the Appalachian Mountains. She is a Democrat who was first elected last fall with 3,909 votes, or 53% of the vote. The county has 23,655 residents. Though on the job only since January, Davis is hardly new to its demands. Her mother wa…
Davis refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, defying the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June that legalized same-sex marriage. “It is not a light issue for me. It is a heaven or hell decision,” Davis said in a statement, citing her religion. Davis doesn’t want her name and title affixed to a same-sex marriage license “that goes down in the annals of Kentucky history,” said h…
Judge Bunning said in his order Tuesday that he is satisfied the office is issuing marriage licenses to “legally eligible couples,” and ordered that counsel for the five deputy clerks who agreed to issue such licenses to submit a status report every 14 days to ensure that compliance continues. Bunning ordered Davis not to interfere “directly or indirectly” with the efforts of her deputies in th…
Davis experienced a religious conversion 4½ years ago and became an Apostolic Christian, a faith which has a strict moral code. She attends Solid Rock Apostolic Church in Morehead, the county seat. “She said she played in the devil’s playground for a long time, and her life has been radically changed since then,” attorney Staver said. She has been married four times, including twice to th…
The governor has no legal authority to remove Davis and cannot use an executive order to relieve her of statutory duties, he said. During Davis’ time in jail, her attorney said the county clerk has no intention of resigning. “She will remain the clerk of Rowan County as long as the people want her,” Staver said.