Christian clerk loses court bid to avoid issuing marriage licenses to gay couples

A devout Christian woman who works as a county clerk in the US has failed in her bid to avoid issuing marriage licenses to gay couples on the basis of religious objections.

Kim Davis, a county clerk in Rowan, Kentucky, filed an application with the US Supreme Court after it ruled same-sex marriage was legal on June 26, NBC reports.

Ms Davis believes marriage is a union between a man and a woman and had refused to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, leading a number of couples to sue.

When a judge ordered Ms Davis to comply with the Kentucky governor's call for marriage certificates to be issued to same-sex couples she filed her application in protest.

Yesterday, the court rejected Ms Davis's application putting her in a potentially precarious position.

When she returns to work on Tuesday she will likely need to choose between her career of more than three decades and her morals.

Her lawyer Mat Staver said Ms Davis "understand the consequences either way".

"She's going to have to think and pray about her decision overnight," he said.

"She'll report to work tomorrow, and face whatever she has to face."