Kim Davis, the elected clerk of Rowan
County, Kentucky, on Thursday lost another legal round in her fight
not to issue marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples.
Davis served five days in jail last
week for refusing to comply with U.S. District Court Judge David
Bunning's ruling ordering her to issue marriage licenses to all
qualified couples. Davis has said that issuing marriage licenses to
gay couples would violate her conscience.
Davis asked the Sixth Circuit Court of
Appeals in Cincinnati to stay the judge's order because all the
plaintiff couples in a same-sex relationship were issued a marriage
license by her deputies during her absence.
Bunning's order applies to all couples,
not only plaintiffs. But lawyers with the Christian conservative
Liberty Counsel who are representing Davis argue that Bunning
improperly issued his order.
The appeals court dismissed Davis'
request on a legal technicality, saying that her lawyers did not
first make the request to Bunning before appealing to the higher
court.