Polygamy Is Still A Crime! 'Sister Wives' Lose Controversial Court Battle
May 24 2018, Updated 3:24 p.m. ET
Kody Brown cannot legally marry all four of his wives!
The Sister Wives stars were dealt a brutal blow by the Supreme Court on Monday, with a refusal to hear their case that kept polygamy a crime.
Meri and Kody Brown filed a lawsuit in 2010 in Utah after their TLC show debuted and police began an investigation into their family. Legally Kody was only married to Meri and just had "spiritual marriages" with Janelle, Christine and Robyn, but he later divorce Meri and legally married Robyn in Nevada.
Their lawsuit sought to decriminalize polygamy, but the Utah Supreme court ruled the polygamy was still a crime. The United States Supreme Court refused to hear their case, keeping the state's ruling that polygamy is a crime.
The Brown's attorney Jonathan Turley expressed disappointment about the decision not to hear the case by the Supreme Court.
"The team is obviously disappointed by the denial but not surprised. We all believed that the Browns were denied those rights when they are singled out for public condemnation and criminal investigation due entirely to their public support for plural marriage," he wrote on his website.
"It has been a long road for all of us and it is not the end of the road. Plural and unconventional families will continue to strive for equal status and treatment under the law. They will continue to seek the promise that led to the formation of this Republic: the right of every family to live according to their own faith and values."
Turley denied that the show was influential in either way in the court case.
"The Browns remained steadfast in their commitment to equal rights and have become the voice for not just plural families but many families which do not meet the strict definition of monogamy practiced by the majority of citizens. The Browns have kept their show and this litigation largely separate to allow the courts to fully consider the merits of our case without interference or aggrandizement. They continue to have faith in our country and our legal system despite this decision. More importantly, they have faith in the right of all families to enjoy the protections of our Constitution and will continue to fight to make that promise a reality for plural families throughout the country."
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