White House spokesman Josh Earnest on Thursday said it was “appropriate” for a federal judge to resolve the matter of a county clerk in Kentucky who was jailed after repeatedly refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples on religious grounds.

“I would not from this vantage point second-guess those decisions,” Earnest told reporters, when asked about a U.S. federal judge finding the clerk in contempt of court.

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“There’s a rule of law and the principle of the rule of law is central to our democracy. And it’s appropriate in this instance for a federal judge to determine the best way to enforce the law.”