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Kentucky Clerk Defies Gay Marriage Ruling Again

A Kentucky county clerk has again rejected requests for marriage licences from same-sex couples despite the US Supreme Court leaving her no legal grounds for such refusals.

Kim Davis denied the latest requests from two same-sex couples on Tuesday amid a sea of reporters and television cameras.

The Rowan County clerk has cited her religious beliefs in refusing multiple requests in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling in June that said all couples had the right to marry.

She has declined to issue licences to any couples - gay or straight - since July. Eight couples have filed a federal lawsuit challenging her office's policy.

On Monday, the high court rejected Ms Davis' request for an emergency order allowing her to continue denying licences while she appeals a federal judge's order requiring her to do so.

A district judge could now hold her in contempt, which can carry steep fines or jail time. She has been ordered to appear in federal court on Thursday.

Cameras captured David Ermold and David Moore confronting Ms Davis on Tuesday after she refused the couple's fourth attempt to obtain a licence.

Asked under what authority she was denying the latest request, Ms Davis said: "Under God's authority."

Supporters of Ms Davis shouted "Praise the Lord" and "stand your ground", while others called her a bigot and told her to "do your job".

Will Smith Jr and James Yates, another same-sex couple, also were denied a licence on Tuesday, their attorney said. It was their fifth attempt to obtain the marriage document.

A spokeswoman for Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway said on Monday his office is reviewing a request for a special prosecutor to determine if Ms Davis committed official misconduct.

Ms Davis contends that approving licences for same-sex applicants would violate her deeply held religious belief that marriage is between a man and a woman.

Her husband, Joe Davis, said his wife has received death threats, and the couple had to change their phone number.