TV family challenges bigamy law

The Messenger 08.01.12

By BRIAN SKOLOFF
Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Kody Brown and his four wives want what any family wants: To live in the privacy of their own home free from government intrusion.
The polygamous stars of the TLC show “Sister Wives” have sued Utah and the county they fled from, hoping to persuade a federal judge to overturn the state’s bigamy law as unconstitutional.
The judge heard arguments Wednesday on a motion to dismiss the case. He will rule later.
The case could potentially decriminalize a way of life for tens of thousands of Mormon fundamentalists, most of whom live in Utah where bigamy is a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
While the state has said it won’t prosecute consenting adult polygamists unless there are other crimes involved, authorities insist the law doesn’t overreach.

Print