Sister Wives Rejoice At New Bigamy Laws

Polygamist Wives Rejoice at New Utah Court Ruling

Salt Lake City, UT – A federal judge tossed out part of Utah’s anti-bigamy law as unconstitutional. Now, polygamy is unlawful in this state made famous for the Mormon Church’s embracing of polygamy in the 1800s. However, the Utah statute went further than merely prohibiting a person from obtaining an additional marriage license while still legally married to another. In Utah, it was unlawful for a person to cohabit with anyone other than a spouse with whom one is legally married. The law was most likely trying to close a loophole that polygamist have used which is to legally marry one person and then cohabit with other women in a relationship sanctioned by their religion as a “marriage”.

However, U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoup declared that by barring consenting adults from cohabiting together, Utah was criminalizing their intimate relationships. In his ruling, he said the Utah statute ran afoul of both the 14th Amendment’s due process protection and the First Amendment’s freedom of religion. The ruling brings an end to the ongoing saga of polygamist Kody Brown and his four “wives” or sisters as they refer to themselves. His wives were jubilant over the decision. Brown framed the ruling as a decision supporting privacy rights. The Utah State Office of the Attorney General is considering whether to appeal the decision.

On The Web:
Judge strikes down part of Utah polygamy law in ‘Sister Wives’ case
http://nypost.com/2013/12/15/sister-wives-rejoice-after-judge-loosens-utahs-bigamy-laws/