Davis stopped issuing marriage licenses following this summer's Supreme Court decision in favor of gay marriage. She said that issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples would violate her religious liberties.
She's fortunate that a Catholic clerk did not assert his or her religious liberties when she applied for her fourth marriage license.
A group of couples who live in Rowan County, KY, filed a lawsuit against Davis. They were represented by the local ACLU office, who specifically asked the court to impose fines against Davis -- not jail time. The judge decided that fines would not be enough to convince Davis to do her job. That's why she was sentenced to jail.
Davis had the opportunity to get out of jail today. The judge introduced a compromise. Her deputy clerks could issue marriage licenses. Five out of six of her deputies are willing to do this. But Davis will not permit this to happen.
So she sits in jail.