Rowan County, Kent. clerk Kim Davis was released from jail Tuesday morning five days after she was sent to jail for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses. Davis’ release was ordered by Federal Judge David Bunning after he deemed Davis’ office was proceeding with it’s marriage licensing obligations.
Davis refused to allow her deputies to issue same sex marriage licenses, citing religious liberties and her religion, Apostolic Christianity.
Davis issued an appeal to the U.S. District Court on Monday but before any response was sent, Judge Bunning ordered her release Tuesday. Bunning said she was released because he is satisfied her deputies are issuing licenses, which they began doing on Friday.
While Judge Bunning saw his decision to jail Davis, and then his subsequent decision to release her, as appropriate, students’ opinions on campus vary.
Lindsay Rhodes, human resource development junior, said that while she believes there should have been repercussions for her actions, she thought being held in contempt of court was unnecessary and it was a good thing Davis was released from jail
“Though I do know that it does go against her religious belief, you need to separate church and state and the federal government’s already ruled that she has to follow the law,” Rhodes said. “I don’t think she should have been jailed, I think that’s a little bit extreme essentially because she did say it was against her religious beliefs.”
Matthew Sims Leyendecker, history junior, said he thought Davis’ jailing was completely appropriate.
“I feel like her going to jail for refusing to do her job is more than acceptable,” Sims Leyendecker said. “It’s the fact that she refused not only to do her job, she refused to do a government job, she refused to quit her job.”
Sims Leyendecker said Davis’ job wasn’t to decide policy nor to order her subordinates to disobey the law and that she shouldn’t have been released from jail.
“I think [her release from jail] is B.S.” Sims Leyendecker said. “I think she’s basically going to go back out and keep doing what she was doing, which was preventing her people from issuing marriage licenses, which is illegal.”
