Dylan Leverett/ reporter
As of Sept. 9, Kim Davis was released to the cheers of supporters and the protests of detractors.
Davis, a Kentucky county clerk, originally had been jailed for denying same-sex couples marriage licenses and then ignoring a federal court order to do so. Davis has garnered right-wing support from the likes of GOP candidate Mike Huckabee, who has been quoted as saying she has “more courage than any politician I know.”
It would seem a logical step to have originally asked Davis to resign or to terminate her outright. But a loophole in Kentucky law makes it tricky for an elected official like Davis to be thrown out of her position. Now that this episode has gotten so blown out of proportion and thrust Davis into the spotlight, she’ll be used as a martyr for political gains. Huckabee has even gone as far as comparing Davis’ fight against same-sex marriage to Abraham Lincoln and the abolishment of slavery.
Now granted, Davis is entitled to her opinions and beliefs, no matter how morally reprehensible or honorable they may be. But once she began to unlawfully deny others the right to be married due to her beliefs, she ceased to uphold her elected position. Any elected government official who disobeys a federal law would be deservedly jailed, regardless if it is or isn’t related to a hot-button political topic.
If people want to peacefully resist or politically demonstrate against something they feel is wrong, by all means do so. If Davis felt she couldn’t perform her duties due to a moral conflict, she should have gracefully resigned.
If rational people want to change something they feel is morally wrong, they would write a letter to a congressman or vote for a representative that has the same beliefs they do. They don’t go out and commit a crime let alone several crimes and abuse their position of authority.
A condition of Davis’ release is that she comply with requirements of her job, i.e. issue same-sex marriage licenses, to which she and her lawyers have said she will most likely not do. Davis’ lawyer has instead asked to have her name taken off any same-sex licenses, which kind of creates a weird Catch-22 compromise that allows her to continue to unfulfill her job duties.
It remains to be seen what will come of the situation and Davis, but according to a YouGov poll, 56 percent of Americans support the decision to jail Davis for contempt of court.
