George Pataki, Rick Santorum spar over Kim Davis during debate


During CNN's early Republican debate, former Sen. Rick Santorum (Pa.) and former New York Gov. George Pataki clashed over Kim Davis and whether the Kentucky clerk should have been fired for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
After Pataki said he would fire Davis for defying a judge's order to issue the licenses, Santorum invoked Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," saying: "We have no obligation to condone and accept unjust laws. I would argue that what the Supreme Court did is against natural law [and] it's against God's law." Pataki fired back that if the president defies the Supreme Court because he doesn't agree with a decision, "then you don't have a rule of law."
He added, "There's a huge difference between a person saying, 'I will stand for my religious rights.' ...I applaud that, you should be able to engage in religious belief. But as an elected official, you take an oath of office to obey the law, all the laws. You cannot pick and choose."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal jumped in to ask if "the left would give us a list of jobs Christians are allowed to have." Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) said that the decision is "the law as it is right now" and switched gears to talk about terrorism: "Whether you're the wedding cake baker or gay couple or Baptist preacher, radical Islam would kill you all if it could. Let's not lose sight of the big picture here."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Film reviews: Roofman and Kiss of the Spider Woman
Feature An escaped felon’s heart threatens to give him away and a prisoner escapes into daydreams of J.Lo.
-
Broadway actors and musicians are on the brink of a strike
The explainer The show, it turns out, may not go on
-
Pentagon reporters turn in badges after refusing rules
Speed Read They refused to sign a restrictive new press policy imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
-
Pentagon reporters turn in badges after refusing rules
Speed Read They refused to sign a restrictive new press policy imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
-
Supreme Court points to gutting Voting Rights Act
speed read States would no longer be required to consider race when drawing congressional maps
-
Trump says he authorized covert CIA ops in Venezuela
Speed Read He is also considering military strikes inside the country
-
‘Vile, racist’ leaked chats roil Young Republicans
Speed Read Leaders of Young Republican groups made racist, antisemitic and violent comments in private chats
-
Trump ties $20B Argentina bailout to Milei votes
speed read Trump will boost Argentina’s economy — if the country’s right-wing president wins upcoming elections
-
News organizations reject Pentagon restrictions
Speed Read The proposed policy is Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s latest move to limit press access at the Pentagon
-
Trump declares end to Gaza war, ‘dawn’ of new Mideast
Speed Read Hamas freed the final 20 living Israeli hostages and Israel released thousands of Palestinian detainees
-
Trump DOJ indicts New York AG Letitia James
Speed Read New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted as Trump’s Justice Department pursues charges against his political opponents