Two gay couples and two straight couples sued her, arguing that she must fulfill her duties as an elected official despite her personal religious faith. Her lawyers with the Liberty Counsel filed a last-ditch appeal to the Supreme Court on Friday, asking that they grant her “asylum for her conscience.” If Davis continues however to turn gay couples away, the couples’ attorneys can ask a judge to hold her in contempt of court, which can carry steep fines or jail time. She can be charged with official misconduct, a misdemeanor defined by state law as a public official who “refrains from performing a duty imposed upon him by law or clearly inherent in the nature of his office.” The crime is punishable by up to a year in jail.
