Salt Lake City — The polygamist family featured in the reality television show “Sister Wives” lost its bid to overturn parts of Utah’s anti-bigamy law under a federal appeals court ruling issued April 11.
The case, filed after the show’s popularity prompted a criminal investigation into whether star Kody Brown was illegally married to four women, drew international attention and raised questions about whether the state could bar consenting adults from living together.
Polygamy is illegal in all 50 states. But Utah’s law is unique in that a person can be found guilty not just for having two legal marriage licenses, but also for cohabiting with another adult in a marriage-like relationship when already legally married to someone else.
In 2013, U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups struck down part of the state’s law, saying it criminalizes intimate relationships among consenting adults. But the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit overturned that ruling April 11. The court said because the Browns had not actually been charged under the law — and the state said it would not prosecute multiple marriage cases unless there were allegations of fraud or criminal activity — the case was moot.
(RNS)
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