Kim Davis from jail: 'All is well'
GRAYSON, Ky. Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis is reading the Bible in her jail cell and sleeping with a clear conscience, the head of her legal team said Friday after speaking with her at the Carter County Detention Center.
Mat Staver, founder and chairman of the Liberty Counsel, said the clerk has remained in good spirits and told attorneys that “all is well” despite the federal contempt charge that resulted in her arrest Thursday.
“She will never violate her conscience and never betray her God,” he said. “She is prepared for the consequences ... and that’s why she is here.”
U.S. District Judge David Bunning ordered Davis into federal custody Thursday when she twice refused to heed a preliminary injunction requiring her to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
But Staver on Friday called the hearing "a charade" and said he expects her to remain behind bars at least into next week. He described her as a woman of “incredible resilience and incredible faith” who has no intention of resigning.
Davis’ lawyers are appealing the contempt ruling to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals and plan to file writs of habeas corpus in efforts to free her from jail.
“We will not allow her to just continually sit here and have her constitutional rights violated and her conscience trampled by what happened yesterday,” Staver said, citing the First Amendment and Kentucky’s Religious Freedom Act.
Although deputy clerks in her office issued marriage forms to multiple couples Friday, Davis continues to withhold her authority. And Staver argues that any licenses granted Friday are “not worth the paper they are written on” because they lack her say-so.
Staver said Davis still has a deep respect for her deputies, who are providing forms over her direction. She understands that they were threatened with arrest and has no animosity toward them, he said.
Staver also repeated criticism of Gov. Steve Beshear, who has declined to call a special session for rewriting state marriage law. Supporters of Davis contend that her beliefs could be accommodated through changes to the forms and state statute. Davis has asked lawmakers for the changes since January.
Demonstrators plan to rally for Davis outside the detention center at 3 p.m. Tuesday, reportedly with an appearance from GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.
A separate event — “The Kim Davis Jailhouse Prayer Rally” — is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at the center. A flier circulated Friday urges officials to “free Kim Davis — Kentucky hero” and calls for Bunning's impeachment.
Staver said the Liberty Counsel has been contacted by other clerks in Kentucky but that lawyers haven’t talked to them since Thursday’s hearing. Two others are denying licenses in Casey and Whitley counties.
Reporter Mike Wynn can be reached at (502) 875-5136 or mwynn@courier-journal.com. Reporter Chris Kenning contributed to this story.
