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Article: Polygamy not protected by constitution, Utah court rules.(Around The States)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Church & State
- Article date:
- October 1, 2004
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Americans United for Separation of Church and State. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The Utah Supreme Court has ruled that the state's law banning polygamy does not violate a practicing polygamist's First Amendment religious liberty.
Tom Green, 55, was convicted in 2001 of violating the state law against polygamy but appealed the conviction arguing that the bigamy ban is a violation of his right to free exercise of religion.
Utah Assistant Attorney General Laura Dupaix disagreed, telling the court that the state bigamy statute applied to all individuals who engage in polygamy regardless of their religious intentions and that the bigamy law serves legitimate state interests, such as protecting women and children from exploitation and ...