Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis' jail sentence was short-lived. Taken to prison for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses, the Christian clerk has now been released by Judge David L. Bunning:
BREAKING: Kim Davis to be released, per order from Judge Bunning: pic.twitter.com/eBbzCTwE6k
— Chris Geidner (@chrisgeidner) September 8, 2015
Hundreds of supporters are at a rally in Grayson, KY waiting for Davis to emerge from the Carter County Detention Center. She received visits from presidential candidates Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), both of whom were spotted arriving at the prison.
Although Obergefell v. Hodges declared that same-sex marriage was now the law of the land in June, Davis refused to comply because of her religious convictions. Bunning ordered her to jail as a result of her resistance.
His reversal now comes after receiving word that her deputies had begun issuing licenses to same-sex couples. However, today her lawyer insisted her name will not be on those licenses. So, time will soon tell if she will be making the march back behind bars.
The controversial debate over Davis's jailing has two main arguments: One) the clerk has a duty to fulfill her role and follow federal mandates regardless of her religious beliefs and Two) Her Christian tenets are worth defending because God's law is more important than any decision made by five unelected justices.
Regardless of whose side you're on, perhaps you'd agree with me in thinking you'd never see the day when an American could be thrown in jail for daring to believe that marriage is a sacred bond between a man and a woman.