Sister Wives Hubby to Sue Utah Over Polygamy Law

Suit: States shouldn't be able to punish polygamists over 'intimate conduct'
By Sarah Whitmire,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 12, 2011 1:39 PM CDT
Kody Brown: Sister Wives Husband to Sue Utah Over Polygamy Law
In this undated file photo provided by TLC, Kody Brown, center, poses with his wives, from left, Janelle, Christine, Meri, and Robyn in a promotional photo for TLC's reality TV show, "Sister Wives."   (AP Photo/TLC, Bryant Livingston, File)

One of America's most famous polygamists and his four wives are taking their lifestyle from the television set to the courtroom. Sister Wives' Kody Brown and the rest of his 21-person family will file a suit tomorrow, but its goal isn't to get polygamy on the books as a recognized kind of marriage. The Browns just don't want to be punished for their "intimate conduct," and want federal courts to instruct states that they aren't permitted to take such an action as long as no other laws (like child abuse or seeking multiple marriage licenses) are being broken, the New York Times reports.

Brown himself has a civil marriage with just one of his wives. The other three are "sister wives" he has not formally wedded. But making those unions illegal violates parts of the First and 14th Amendments, the family argues. “We only wish to live our private lives according to our beliefs,” Brown said in a statement. (More Kody Brown stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X