Kentucky Clerk Defies Court, Turns Away Same-Sex Couple Seeking Marriage License

Another showdown is brewing in a tiny northern Kentucky county where a federal judge ordered a stubbon antigay clerk to do her job and issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

This showdown was sparked by the decision by Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis to refuse to abide by the Supreme Court decision in June that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. She announced she would not issue licenses to same-sex couples -- or even opposite-sex couples.

Davis's refusal complicated things for anyone seeking a marriage license in Rowan County. Four couples -- two gay, two straight -- took Davis to court.

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge David Bunning ruled that Davis's religious beliefs do not exempt her from performing her duties as a government official; she will have to provide marriage licenses.

In his ruling, Bunning wrote that Davis "is refusing to recognize the legal force of U.S. Supreme Court jurisprudence in performing her duties" and her "religious convictions cannot excuse her from performing the duties that she took an oath to perform as Rowan County Clerk."

Read Bunning's full ruling here.