NEW YORK -- Supporters of Kim Davis cheered on Tuesday when the clerk walked free following a reversal by the judge who sent her to the Carter County Detention Center in Grayson, Kentucky, last week for not issuing marriage licenses to gay couples.
Coleman Colston of Henry County, Ky., joins in the protest in support of jailed Rowan county cerk Kim Davis at the Carter County Detention Center in Grayson, Ky., Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2015
Hoping to gain a much-needed bump in the polls, Republican presidential hopefuls Mike Huckabee and Ted Cruz were in attendance at the Rowan County Courthouse, piggybacking on the media attention sparked by the 49-year-old’s determined stance against marriage equality.
"If somebody needs to go to jail, I'm willing to go in her place." - Mike Huckabee, pic.twitter.com/nm5794veg9
— Chris Geidner (@chrisgeidner) September 8, 2015
District Judge David Bunning unexpectedly lifted the contempt order against Davis on Tuesday morning, noting that her deputies were, in her absence, granting the documentation to same-sex couples.
However, he warned Davis not to interfere in the work of the deputy clerks, saying, “that will be considered a violation of this Order and appropriate sanctions will be considered."
John Williams, of Cincinnati, reads from the bible to a gathering in support of jailed county clerk Kim Davis at the Carter County Detention Center in Grayson, Ky., Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2015
Following her release, Huckabee praised Davis for displaying "more courage than any politician I know," before attempting to insert himself further in the drama by offering to take serve any future jail time. "If somebody needs to go to jail, I'm willing to go in her place," he said.
I was honored to meet w/ #KimDavis. A woman of such strong faith and conviction. #ImWithKim#ReligiousLibertypic.twitter.com/RhcaENaA6i
— Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) September 8, 2015
Although the release has not directly addressed the ongoing problem of an elected official refusing to carry out her duties under the constitution, Bunning has demanded updates on the work of the five deputies be delivered to him every two weeks.
Davis maintains that gay marriage is a sin and that God’s law trumps man’s law following the Supreme Court ruling in June that made gay marriage legal across all 50 states.