Supreme Court rules against Kentucky clerk over refusal to issue gay marriage licenses

The Supreme Court on Monday ruled against the Kentucky county clerk who has refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses. Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis will have to choose whether to issue marriage licenses and defy the Christian conviction she has held up as her defense, or continue to refuse them. Davis, who stopped issuing all marriage licenses a day after the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage, could face fines or jail time if she defies the decision. 'She's going to have to think and pray about her decision overnight,' said Mat Staver, founder of the law firm representing Davis, said on Monday. 'She certainly understands the consequences either way. She'll report to work tomorrow, and face whatever she has to face.' A line of couples, turned away by her office again and again in the two months since the U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage across the nation, plan to meet her at the courthouse door. 'Wow, wow, wow, I can't believe it, we might finally be able to get a license tomorrow,' April Miller said Monday night, shortly after the court's decision. Miller has been denied twice to marry her partner of more than a decade. Two gay couples and two straight couples then sued her, arguing that she must fulfill her duties as an elected official despite her personal religious faith. A federal judge ordered her to issue the licenses, and an appeals court upheld that decision. Her lawyers with the Liberty Counsel filed a last-ditch appeal to the Supreme Court on Friday, asking that they grant her 'asylum for her conscience.' Justice Elena Kagan, who oversees the 6th district, referred Davis' request to the full court, which denied the stay without comment. Kagan joined the majority in June when the court legalized gay marriage across the nation. If Davis continues to turn them away, the couples' attorneys can ask a judge to hold her in contempt of court, which can carry steep fines or jail time. More photo after the cut...