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Couples have married in the United States for centuries. For most of US history, marriages were solemnized in an ecclesiastical setting. Government-issued marriage licenses are a modern innovation. [citation needed] Even before the advent of licensing, many states enacted laws to prohibit plural marriage-style relationships.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit reversed the decision on April 11, 2016 [62] On January 23, 2017, the Supreme Court of the United States declined to hear arguments from the husband and four wives who star in the television show Sister Wives, letting stand a lower court ruling that kept polygamy a crime in Utah. [63]
2006 – 26 states outlaw same-sex marriage and polygamy through their state constitutions. Arizona becomes the first state in the United States to reject a constitutional amendment banning both same-sex marriage and polygamy, but passes a constitutional amendment two years later.
A bill to punish and prevent the Practice of Polygamy in the Territories of the United States and other Places, and disapproving and annulling certain Acts of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Utah. Nicknames: Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act of 1862: Enacted by: the 37th United States Congress: Effective: July 1, 1862: Citations; Public law ...
The church defended polygamy as a matter of religious freedom, while the federal government, in line with prevailing public opinion, sought to eradicate it. Polygamy likely played a role in the Utah War of 1857–1858, as Republican critics portrayed Democratic President James Buchanan as weak in opposing both polygamy and slavery.
United States declared that polygamy was not protected by the Constitution, based on the longstanding legal principle that "laws are made for the government of actions, and while they cannot interfere with mere religious belief and opinions, they may with practices." [119]
United States: Polygamy is illegal in all 50 states, [100] De facto polygamy is illegal under federal law, the Edmunds Act. Utah, in February 2020, reduced polygamy to the status of a traffic ticket; [ 101 ] [ 102 ] nevertheless recognizing that polygamous unions are illegal under the Constitution of Utah . [ 103 ]
The Edmunds Act, also known as the Edmunds Anti-Polygamy Act of 1882, [1] is a United States federal statute, signed into law on March 23, 1882 by President Chester A. Arthur, declaring polygamy a felony in federal territories, punishable by "a fine of not more than five hundred dollars and by imprisonment for a term of not more than five years". [2]