The Supreme Court on Monday turned down Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis' request to continue denying marriage licenses to same-sex couples because of her religious objections.
In what is the one of the first tests of the Supreme Court's landmark gay marriage ruling, it issued a one-line order without explanation: "The application for stay presented to Justice Kagan and by her referred to the Court is denied," reported NBC News.
Davis, the Rowan County clerk, has repeatedly refused to issue gay marriage licenses, even after Gov. Steven L. Beshear directly ordered her to do so in the wake of the historic ruling in June that legalized gay marriage nationwide. The Supreme Court said that only denying same-sex couples would be unconstitutional, so Davis also stopped issuing licenses to straight couples.
Davis' lawyers said she "holds an undisputed sincerely held religious belief that marriage is a union between a man and a woman, only," reported NBC News.
Now, as Davis plans to return to work on Tuesday, she will have to decide whether to defy her Christian conviction and issue marriage licenses, or violate a federal judge's order, which could result in fines or even jail time, according to The Associated Press.
"She's going to have to think and pray about her decision overnight. She certainly understands the consequences either way," Mat Staver, founder of the law firm representing Davis, said on Monday. "She'll report to work tomorrow, and face whatever she has to face."
After Davis stopped issuing licenses in the days following the Supreme Court's historic decision, two gay couples and two straight couple sued her on the grounds that she is not fulfilling her duties as an elected public official.
A district judge had ordered her to start issuing the licenses, but Davis filed an appeal and the judge allowed her to wait until Aug. 31 or until the U.S. 6th District of Appeals made a decision, reports NPR.
The appeals court ruled against Davis last Wednesday, but on Thursday, Davis again refused to issue a marriage license to a couple, and then sought a stay from the Supreme Court.
