US

Kim Davis To Attend State Of The Union

(Ty Wright/Getty Images)

Philip DeVoe Contributor
Font Size:

Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk jailed last year for refusing to hand out marriage licenses for same-sex couples, will be attending President Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday as the guest of an unnamed House member.

The Family Research Council arranged for Davis and her lawyer, Mat Staver, to attend the speech tonight but are keeping secret the member who invited them. Although 2016 presidential candidate and Senator [crscore]Ted Cruz[/crscore] stood with her after her release from prison, his office has said the Texan did not invite her.

“Kim and I are encouraging all people of faith to get involved in the political process, to vote for people who support your values, and to never give up,” Staver said in a statement from Liberty Counsel. “Our ‘one nation under God,’ is worth our continued prayers and active support.”

Also in the audience tonight will be Jim Obergefell, the plaintiff in the case Obergefell v Hodges, whose outcome resulted in Davis’s defiance. Obergefell is the guest of President Obama, who is sure to use his appearance and case to speak about advancements made this year in the gay rights movement.

According to the statement, Davis and Staver’s appearance will balance out the opinions in the room and remind people watching of the attacks on religious liberty made by the Obama administration.

“For seven years, people of faith have been in the crosshairs of the Obama Administration. The state of religious liberty is dire, but we cannot give up,” reads the statement.