The federal judge who jailed a Kentucky county clerk for refusing to issue marriage licenses in protest of the Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage ordered the woman be released from prison Tuesday.
The Associated Press reported that U.S. District Judge David Bunning directed that Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis be released five days after jailing her for refusing to comply with his order to issue marriage licenses. Davis has refused to issue licenses to any couples since the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage nationwide in late June.
Davis, a Christian, argues that she should be exempt from issuing licenses to gay couples because of her religious beliefs.
On Tuesday, Bunning also directed Davis not to interfere with the county’s issuing of marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
Bunning’s decision to release Davis came shortly after a Republican congressman from Kentucky argued that the judge’s order for Davis to be jailed was premature, as the state legislature has not yet updated its marriage laws since the Supreme Court’s ruling on gay marriage.
Republican presidential candidates Mike Huckabee and Ted Cruz each traveled to Kentucky to meet with Davis Tuesday and express support for her. Huckabee also planned to host a rally in favor of Davis in front of the jail after meeting with her.
Last week, Cruz criticized Davis’ jailing as un-American.
"Kim Davis should not be in jail. We are a country founded on Judeo-Christian values, founded by those fleeing religious oppression and seeking a land where we could worship God and live according to our faith, without being imprisoned for doing so," the Texas senator said in a statement Friday.