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Here's What We Know About The Ky. Clerk Refusing Gay Marriage Licenses

Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis, right, talks with David Moore following her refusal to issue marriage licenses at the Rowan County Courthouse in Morehead, Ky.
Timothy D. Easley AP
Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis, right, talks with David Moore following her refusal to issue marriage licenses at the Rowan County Courthouse in Morehead, Ky.

Defying court decisions that go all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, Kim Davis, the Rowan County (Ky.) Clerk, continued to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples on Wednesday.

As Kentucky Public Radio's Ryland Barton reports, Davis, who has become a divisive figure in the national debate on gay marriage, has been summoned to a federal court on Thursday for a hearing on whether to hold her in contempt.

With that, here's what we know about Davis:

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-- She's A Born-Again Christian: The Associated Press reports that Davis' life changed in a church about four years ago.

The preacher, the AP reports, was speaking about the book of Galatians, and Davis repented for her sins and "pledged the rest of her life to the service of the Lord."

In a statement, Davis explained that she decided to go to church that day to honor the dying wish of her mother-in-law.

"There I heard a message of grace and forgiveness and surrendered my life to Jesus Christ," she said. "I am not perfect. No one is. But I am forgiven and I love my Lord and must be obedient to Him and to the Word of God."

-- She Has Cited Her Religious Views For Her Stance: Davis has said her religious beliefs have driven her to deny same-sex couples marriage licenses.

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In court, she testified that she prayed and fasted before making the decision to defy the highest court of the land.

"It wasn't just a spur-of-the-moment decision," she testified, according to the Courier-Journal. "It was thought out, and I sought God on it."

The paper reports:

"On the stand... Davis described herself as an Apostolic Christian who believes marriage is defined as the union of one man and one woman under the Bible — 'God's holy word' — and said she contemplated her policy for months beforehand. "She choked back tears at times as she argued that issuing licenses under her name would violate her religious beliefs, even if a deputy clerk performs the task in her stead. "'If I say they are authorized, I'm saying I agree with it, and I can't,' Davis said."

-- Davis Has Been Divorced Three Times: According to marriage licenses obtained by Buzzfeed, Davis has been married four times — twice to the same man.

She first married at age 18 in 1984. She later married Joe Davis in 1996. She married a third time in 2007 and then married Davis again in 2009.

Her marriage record has been used by critics to point out what they see as Davis' hypocrisy. During a tense standoff with a gay couple on Tuesday, one man pointedly asked her what was the longest she had been with one partner.

In response, Davis' attorney said that she acknowledged she had made "major mistakes" in the past.

"She's regretful and sorrowful," her attorney Mat Staver said, according to the AP. "That life she led before is not the life she lives now. She asked for and received forgiveness and grace. That's why she has such a strong conscience."

-- She Was Elected To Her Position: Davis, a Democrat, won a 2014 election for Rowan County Clerk handily — 53 percent to 46 percent.

Davis took the keys of the office from her mother Jean Bailey, who held the position for 37 years.

The night Davis won, she gave an interview to the Morehead News.

"My words can never express the appreciation but I promise to each and every one that I will be the very best working clerk that I can be and will be a good steward of their tax dollars and follow the statutes of this office to the letter," Davis said.

-- She Can't Be Fired: Because Davis is an elected official, and as the Kentucky Supreme Court puts it, "ultimately accountable to the voters," she can't be fired from her job.

According to procedures set forth by the Supreme Court of Kentucky, the only way for Davis to be removed from her position is if the Circuit Court Clerks Conduct Commission recommends that course of action to the chief justice and the chief justice agrees.

The process is complicated and would likely take a long time.

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