The Utah attorney general’s office has still not decided if it will appeal the ground-breaking decision that effectively legalized polygamy in Utah. Acting Attorney General Brian Tarbet said Thursday evening that no final decisions had been made and his office is “still evaluating that case.” The case began when Kody Brown and his wives, known from the TV show “Sister Wives,” sued the state, alleging Utah’s bigamy statute violated their constitutional rights.
Utah Assistant Attorney General Jerrold Jensen, leaves Federal court dissapointed on Thursday, January 17, 2013, following a hearing in the (Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune)
On Dec. 13, U.S. District Court Judge Clark Waddoups sided with the Browns, striking down Utah’s law against cohabitation. Though bigamy — i.e. getting multiple marriage licences — remains illegal, the decision effectively decriminalized polygamy as it is practiced by most fundamentalist Mormons, who typically seek only “spiritual marriages.”
In the aftermath of the ruling, Gov. Gary Herbert promised to review the case. Waddoups’ 91-page decision, which he took nearly a year to write, also seemed to hint that an appeal was the natural next step.
But Tarbet said Thursday his office isn’t ready to take that step just yet. Tarbet pointed out that the court decision legalizing same-sex marriage in Utah — which came a week after Waddoups’ decision — had consumed his office’s resources. Tarbet also said his office was awaiting some final filings from Waddoups.
According to Fox 13, incoming AG Sean Reyes said in an interview Thursday that his intention was to appeal Waddoups’ decision. I also reached out to Reyes, but he said he was deferring to Tarbert, who, again, said no final decision had been made.
Jim Dalrymple II
Twitter: @jimmycdii
Categories: Americas, United States
More information:
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogspolygblog/57263578-185/polygamy-utah-waddoups-bigamy.html.csp
So Mormons ‘typically seek only spiritual marriages’?! Who says they do? And what is a ‘spiritual’ marriage? To me whoever is claiming this, is implying that Mormons marry several women though only sleep with one of them. So what are the others there for? What an insult to our intelligence! I don’t think that the creepy Cody Brown had his 17 children with only one of his wives or claims this. Why was this article posted in the Muslim Times? Is the site founder hopeful that polygamy will become legal all over America so that muslim men can marry multiple wives?
To most westerners polygamy is repulsive. It is treating women as chattels. What woman would welcome her husband taking another wife? It is bad enough when men are unfaithful, without actually having to live with the woman he is being unfaithful with!
Your assumptions are of course wrong. Actually you do not believe what you are writing. Yes, of course Mormons have ‘relations’ with all wives of their ‘spiritual marriage’. They just do not have the marriage licence of the Government. I do not know in what world Jo lives, but in fact in the West most people have ‘sexual relations’ without a Government marriage licence. So what is the big deal? Mormons want to have their religious thing (spiritual wives). What is that to you?
Let’s face it: ‘The West’ is practicing polygamy just as much as ‘The East’. The difference is that in ‘The East’ we take responsibility of what we do. We do not hide and cheat. We openly take responsibility and acknowledge our responsibilities.