Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis Ordered Released From Jail

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press/CBX

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Kim Davis, the Rowan County, Kentucky clerk who was jailed after she defied the Supreme Court's ruling on same-sex marriage, has been ordered released.

A court order issued Tuesday says, "Defendant Davis shall be released from the custody of the U.S. Marshal forthwith. Defendant Davis shall not interfere in any way, directly or indirectly, with the efforts of her deputy clerks to issue marriage licenses to all legally eligible couples. If Defendant Davis should interfere in any way with their issuance, that will be considered a violation of this Order and appropriate sanctions will be considered."

Davis was ordered jailed by a federal judge last week on a contempt charge after defying several court orders. Her lawyers spent Labor day weekend filing appeals in an effort to force her release.

Davis stopped issuing all marriage licenses in June, the day after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. Two gay couples and two straight couples sued her. U.S. District Judge David Bunning ordered Davis to issue the licenses, and the Supreme Court upheld his ruling.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/kentucky-clerk-kim-davis-ordered-released-from-jail/

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. because her staff is already issuing licenses, I expected this

She needed to be taught that orders from a court have to be obeyed, so a weekend in the hoosegow is enough.

[avebury]

3. And she will go back to work and make their

lives hell. How long do you think it will be before she refuses to let anyone issue marriage licenses?

[Jamastiene]

25. Her lawyers have already said she plans to do it again.

Why bother having laws if she can get away with breaking them? I guess the laws only apply to the rest of us, but not her. Why does she get special treatment?

[ChairmanAgnostic]

29. she won't

The first prison visit was a slap on the wrist. If she repeats her violation, expect the second to be more stringent and severe.

[kay1864]

46. I doubt it

As someone else pointed out on this thread, jailing for contempt of court is not for punishment--it's to get the abuser to comply with the judge's order. Since the licenses are being issued per that order, the coercion is no longer needed.

[Nay]

55. But she does not intend to personally comply with the order. Sure, her deputy clerks

are issuing licenses, but she will not -- she'll refuse again if they expect her personally to issue the licenses. I hope to see her ass in jail again for contempt.

[kay1864]

56. As long as she doesn't interfere the judge's order is being followed

If she does, then back to jail she goes. But as long as the licenses are being issued (even if she doesn't do so personally), there's no contempt of court.

[TeamPooka]

51. I believe she will go back to defying the judge, not issue lic & even "recall" the licenses issued

to gay couples during her incarceration.
Remember, she's a stupid person with hatred in her heart.

[Orrex]

2. And how long until she's back inside?

How long before she interferes with marriage licensing?

[randome]

4. It's against her religion to allow clerks to issue marriage licenses without her approval.

It's right there in Leviticus. Don't you know ANYTHING?
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Treat your body like a machine. Your mind like a castle.[/center][/font][hr]

[Orrex]

5. I'm such a noob.

[leftieNanner]

10. Leviticus.....

I was planning to sell one of my daughters as soon as I figured out how many yaks I should get for her.

[Half-Century Man]

17. Geographically wrong

Exchange rate is oxen.

[SwissTony]

19. Damn, I've only got goats. n/t

[Half-Century Man]

57. When you break an oxen

You get goats as change.
Which makes buying gum labor intensive.

[leftieNanner]

60. Well, Tony

Goats will probably work. She's getting her PhD in Physical Chemistry, so you'll have to wait a few years before she's available.

[leftieNanner]

61. Well, NOW you tell me!

No wonder I didn't get any responses on Craigs List.

[EileenFB]

18. ROFL - n/t

[randome]

35. And I went the route of paying for college for my daughters! What was I thinking??

[hr][font color="blue"][center]Treat your body like a machine. Your mind like a castle.[/center][/font][hr]

[N_E_1 for Tennis]

54. You can get a kayak for selling your daughter?...

I want a Wilderness System, Aspire 10.5 By the way she's pregnant, so will that include paddles?
Gotta get it by her hubbie, but we cool.

[Jack Rabbit]

7. I'll give it until tomorrow morning

That's assuming she goes home for the rest of the day.

[1StrongBlackMan]

24. I suspect her "interference" will take the form of refusing to sign the licenses ...

without making provisions for an alternate signature.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

36. She'll fire her assistants and hire replacements from her church

No matter what, she and her supporters will see this as a win for their bigotry.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

6. NYT

LINK

The clerk of Rowan County, Ky., who was jailed last week after she defied a court’s order that she issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, has been ordered released.

The clerk, Kim Davis, has been held for contempt of court since Thursday, but on Tuesday, the judge who sent her to jail, David L. Bunning of Federal District Court, ruled that she should be freed from a county detention center in Grayson, Ky.

[Botany]

8. Looks like Ms. Davis has backed down

http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2015/09/08/kim-davis-released-jail/71881098/

Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis was ordered released from jail today.

U.S. District Judge David Bunning, who jailed her for contempt of court Thursday for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, ordered her freed on the condition that she not interfere with her deputies, who have been granting licenses to gay and straight couples since Friday.

Bunning said the office had complied with his order.


blogslut thanx for posting this!

[underpants]

32. It will not be spun that way.

At least not on Fox. She'll be a conquering hero and they will stop mentioning that she's a Democrat.

[lark]

38. I'd bet some $$ she hasn't reformed one little bit.

Yeah, she couldn't stop the issuance of marriage licenses when she was in jail, but I expect her to go right back to her law breaking habits. Hope she goes back much longer the 2nd time around and gets put in with the general population of "non-violent" offenders. It's what she deserves.

[sunnystarr]

59. Bunning must be burning up about now

Bunning said the office had complied with his order.

According to Davis' lawyer she never authorized anyone to issue marriage license and the law states that only she can issue them or give authorization. Davis says those licenses issued aren't legal without her signature or stamp. Changing the law is what they're demanding which would open the floodgates for other accommodations from any religious faction.

[DebbieCDC]

9. Released no doubt just in time to attend the big rally with Huckleberry

She'll be interfering with those license issuances, wait and see.

[beac]

13. If she attends that rally, she will have NO choice but to interfere.

The angry mob will be chanting for it.

Even if she's smart (unlikely) and skips Huckabee's little stunt, you think those drooling banshee bigots will let her get away with not interfering? They'll be on her lawn next!

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

11. I wonder if the mob outside his house convinced him.

If so, it's pretty fucking sad.

[hamsterjill]

12. I wonder the same thing.

And Huckabee and Cruz will now be taking the credit.

[metalbot]

15. To be fair

She wasn't jailed for being a bigot (which she is), she was jailed for contempt because she was refusing to allow her office to issue marriage licenses. That situation seems to have corrected itself, so there's not a legally compelling reason to keep her in jail.

I'm not a big fan of jailing people for contempt as a punitive measure, even when I think the person involved "deserves" it. Sending people to jail for contempt should be limited to correcting specific problems.

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

28. It's only there because she isn't there to stop it - just wait until tomorrow.

[underpants]

33. Correct - Bunning just had to get the licenses issued

The office is now doing that. This was not punitive towards her it was the effect the correct result.

[leftynyc]

16. No - the judge is smart

The licenses must be given out to whoever asks for them and she doesn't get to play martyr. Contempt of court jailtime is not supposed to be punishment - it's supposed to be used to get the desired outcome (the giving out of licenses). He's doing the right thing.

[Maeve]

26. Agreed. And the air went out of the Cruz-abeepalooza when he released her

As long as she doesn't decide to throw a hissy and stop the licenses again...

[kay1864]

41. Agreed

And if she interferes with her clerks...back to jail she goes. Win win.

I actually love the idea of her pursed face (a) fuming while clerks issue licenses or (b) telling them to stop denying the lord's will...at which point she's outta there (again).

Either way... licenses are issued in accord with the Constitution.

[Liberal Veteran]

20. Probably more like "Ok, holiday weekend is over. Time to deal with Little Miss Recalcitrant" -nt

[bigworld]

14. Has she agreed to the conditions of the release?

I don't see her allowing any more licenses to be issued.

[csziggy]

34. If she interferes with her deputy clerks issuing licenses she is still in contempt

And can be thrown back in jail. If she orders the clerks to stop issuing the marriage licenses, they refuse and she fires them, they have great cases for wrongful termination suits against the county. If she goes into a snit and locks herself in her office without doing any other of her required duties, it just adds to the reasons to impeach her.

I'm sort of hoping she gets completely out of control and attacks someone in her office and gets shown on live national TV what a whack job she is. But that is only a fantasy...

[kay1864]

42. Sadly the Ky legislature will never impeach her

If she stays in her office a-snitting, the licenses will be issued. True, she won't be earning her salary, but the voters (and legislators) will be just fine paying her to be a virtuous symbol of defiance. Even if she isn't really defying a damn thing.

[csziggy]

45. I'm not sure if the Kentucky legislature will like her defiance

To the rule of law no matter what their religious affiliation is.

[kay1864]

47. You give them more credit than I do

Like many legislators, they act on that which will get them re-elected. Not necessarily for what is right.

[47of74]

21. Yeah I hope she stays out of the way.

I could see Huckafuck or some reich winger trying to talk her into interfering.

[csziggy]

37. I hope she does interfere - that would aid the case for impeachment

She needs to be out of that office. As I posted in another thread, the county clerk office has far too much power to leave it in the hands of a religious fanatic who believes her Bible supersedes the US Constitution for the operation of her office.

County clerks in Kentucky don't just issue licenses and keep the county records. They also are the county financial officers, tax collectors, and supervisors of elections. To me it is scary to have so many responsibilities essential to every day operations in the hands of one official.

If Davis wins this battle, county clerks in Kentucky can exercise their powers to destroy people's lives using the excuse of religious dominance. They could deny the right to register to vote, neglect to send tax notices and many other abuses of power. In fact I wonder how much of this sort of thing does go on in these nepotism laced little enclaves?

[yellowcanine]

22. Judge Bunning 2, Kim Davis 0

Davis dared the judge to throw her in jail. The judge threw her in jail.
Then just as she was getting the Christian martyr bandwagon up and running, he pulls the rug out by releasing her.

[JohnnyLib2]

30. Sounds right.

to the judge

[kay1864]

43. Yep

No book deal for her now. Plus Huck and Ted et al won't have any interest in praying with her. And I'm guessing those interviews with CNN et al get canceled realll quickly.

Yay Judge Bunning!

[Jamastiene]

23. Why not just let everyone who is in jail out now?

I mean, everyone else who is not in jail is not breaking the law. So, why keep people who are breaking the law in jail?

Her lawyers have already said she vows to do exactly what the judge told her not to do; interfere with the other clerks issuing the marriage licenses.

Are they going to continue letting her do that shit over and over again? Why even have laws if the damn courts won't do their damn jobs and put people in jail when they break those laws? The rest of us don't get a get out of jail free card because "Gawd says so."

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

27. Methinks we haven't hear the last of little miss smarmy pants.

[Marrah_G]

49. She is not convicted of a crime, she was being held in contempt of court

She complied with the judges demands and has been released. If she interferes in any way she goes right back to jail.

[Jamastiene]

58. She did not comply.

The marriage licenses were issued by everyone else in the office, not her. She never said she will start issuing them and she never said she would sign them. She belongs in jail until she either resigns or starts doing her job. She might not have been convicted of a crime, but she did break the law by denying people their civil rights.

[Dream Girl]

31. I'm okay with this, just as long as there are no fines

If the judge ordered fines, that would be her path to riches and I'm sure that was what they'd hoped for. I like the jail vs. no jail option. Short and sweet and no fundraising to "cover her fines".

[TeamPooka]

50. She didn't say anything on the steps. Not a word. She's waiting for the paid interview offers now.

[kay1864]

52. My guess is they are being rapidly withdrawn

CNN et al don't get ratings from interviewing her in her smock outfit in her office, as much as if she's in orange in a jail interview room.

[TeamPooka]

53. The network morning shows will pay for an exclusive. The say they don't pay but then they

license the "rights" to show family photos, house, etc.

[rdking647]

39. im waiting for it to come out that one of her lawyers advised her to ignore the court order

you know if it happened shes not bright enough to keep it a secret.
then her lawyer could be disbarred

[TeamPooka]

48. With Kim by his side her lawyer just said on TV that the licenses already issued

are invalid.
So "fuck you Judge" who just let her out.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

40. LIVE STREAM: Kim Davis Rally

http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2015/09/08/kim-davis-released-jail/71881098/

Related: Not Amused: She sits next to Kim Davis

Kristina Goetz
@KGoetz1
5:44 p.m. EDT September 4, 2015

Her name is Melissa Thompson. She does, in fact, sit next to embattled Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis. And she's not amused.

Amid the controversy over Davis' refusal to issue marriage licenses for same-sex couples, a parody Twitter account @nexttokimdavis has emerged with Thompson's photo and a slew of offensive, profanity-laced tweets that are definitely #NSFW.

https://twitter.com/nexttokimdavis

[maindawg]

44. Oh boy !

I would like to see a police man putting her in cuffs when she refuses to do her job tomorrow. That would be fun to watch on my expensive color TV.

[catbyte]

62. ...

[awoke_in_2003]

63. She shouldn't have been let out until she agrees to do it...

with flu season coming up, what if everyone in the office, but her, is out sick and someone comes for a wedding license? She will refuse, but by that time all this will be forgotten in the media and she will get away with it.

on edit: And another thing- this is giving religious people a glimmer of hope that they can keep pulling the crap they are pulling. Religion in this country needs to be put back where it belongs- in church and in the home. Like a penis, keep that shit to yourselves.

[drm604]

66. I agree.

What happens if one of her deputies has to be replaced at some point? Will she snoop into potential employees' religious beliefs hoping to find someone of like mind?

I can maybe see making reasonable accommodations in a business if it isn't unfair to the other employees, but this isn't a private business and she is a government official. She is the government, and SCOTUS has ruled that the government cannot discriminate.

If you allow people in positions such as hers to pick and choose based on their religion, then what's to stop voters in regressive states from deliberately voting for people based on their religious beliefs in order to do a runaround of SCOTUS rulings?

[roamer65]

64. It is a compromise that I don't like.

She still thinks she can avoid issuing the licenses to gay and lesbian couples. An LGBT couple needs to go in there and force her specifically to issue the license. She should no be allowed to pick and choose to whom she personally issues licenses.