A federal judge issued a final ruling Wednesday in the so-called Sister Wives case, handing the stars of the TLC show a resounding victory.
The Brown family, who rose to prominence on the TLC reality show "Sister Wives."
AP Photo/TLC, George Lange, File
A federal judge in Salt Lake City — Clark Waddoups — issued a final ruling in the so-called Sister Wives case, which is known for the TLC show that prompted it. Sister Wives stars the polygamous Brown family, who sued in 2011 because officials where they lived threatened to come after them.
The Brown family won their biggest victory in December, when the judge said the Utah law that made polygamy illegal — and which would have been used against them — was unconstitutional. The case was left hanging, however, while both sides argued over whether or not the family's rights were violated by years of criminal investigations.
Wednesday's ruling resolves all the pending issues and hands a resounding victory to the Browns. Not only did the judge decide that the law against polygamy was unconstitutional, he also agreed that the family's rights had been violated and said they "are entitled to an award of attorney's fees, costs, and expenses incurred in this action."
This all effectively means that for the time being polygamy in Utah is no longer illegal.
Utah is indeed known for polygamy — there's even a local beer cheekily called "Polygamy Porter" — but also has a surprisingly contentious past when it comes to non-monogamous marriages. The state's reputation dates back to its founders, Mormon pioneers, whose faith included "plural marriage." The mainstream Mormon Church banned polygamy in the late 1800s, but some members of the church refused to accept the policy change and gradually broke away to form their own groups.
from BuzzFeed - Breaking http://ift.tt/1tM3apo
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