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Jailed Kentucky clerk won't 'violate her conscience,' lawyer says

By Doug G. Ware

FRANKFORT, Ky., Sept. 8 (UPI) -- A county clerk jailed in Kentucky for refusing to grant marriage licenses to gay couples will not change her mind on the issue, her attorney said Tuesday.

Kim Davis was jailed Thursday for contempt after she steadfastly refused to grant the licenses because she says they interfere with her religious beliefs. Tuesday, she was released because other county clerks were issuing the licenses.

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However, her attorney said Davis, 49, isn't satisfied -- and will continue to challenge the licenses coming from her office because technically her name is still on them.

"Just keep on pressing," she told media outside the jailhouse. "Don't let down. Because He is here."

"She's not going to violate her conscience," her lawyer, Mat Staver, said.

Upon Davis' release, a judge warned that she might be rearrested if she continues to interfere with the granting of licenses -- which seems entirely likely.

"She told the court Thursday that she can't allow licenses to go out under her name and her authority that authorize a marriage that collides with her conscience and religious conviction, and Kim is not changed on that position," Staver said.

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In fact, two other clerks in Kentucky -- Casey Davis in Casey County and Kay Schwartz in Whitley County -- are also refusing to issue licenses for the same reason. They have not yet been held in contempt, NBC News reported Tuesday.

Davis' crusade has attracted the attention of two Republican presidential candidates -- Mike Huckabee and Sen. Ted Cruz.

"I'm not willing to spend one day under the tyranny of people that believe they can take our freedom away," Huckabee said.

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