'Sister wives' star wins partial victory in challenge to Utah's polygamy ban
A federal judge in Utah has struck down a ban on cohabitation in Utah’s polygamy law in a partial victory for a star of the reality series Sister Wives.
U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups upheld the law’s ban on multiple marriage licenses, but struck down the ban on cohabitation as a violation of the right to freedom of religion and due process, report the New York Times, the Salt Lake Tribune and SCOTUSblog. How Appealing links to the decision.
The challenge was filed by Sister Wives star Kody Brown, who is formally married to one wife and has three “spiritual wives.” He was represented by George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley, who covered the case at his blog.
“Despite the public statements of professors and experts that we could not prevail in this case, the court has shown that it is the rule of law that governs in this country,” he wrote. “It took singular courage to be the first court not only in this country but any recorded decision to strike down the criminalization of polygamy.”
