By C1 Staff
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A federal judge has ruled that Kim Davis, the Rowan County clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, may leave jail as long as she does not interfere with the licenses her deputies have been granting since her incarceration last week.
NBC News reports that U.S. District Judge David Bunning ordered Davis released and said that if she does not follow his guidance, “appropriate sanctions will be considered.”
Bunning’s order also requires the five deputy clerks in Rowan County to file status reports every two weeks detailing their compliance with his earlier orders that the office issue licenses to same-sex couples in accordance with a June U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
Davis was jailed last Thursday after repeatedly defying the courts, saying that authorizing the licenses would violate her Christian beliefs. She has asked state officials to develop alternative ways for the licenses to be issued without requiring her to authorize them.