​Sister Wives Win: Federal Judge Favor Sister Wives Ruling

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September 1, 2014

Sister wives win lawsuit in Utah after a federal judge strikes down parts of the state’s anti-polygamy law.

According to The Spreadit, Kody Brown has four wives and was facing up to five years in prison for his spiritual unions. The latest decision by the courts allow them to reside under the same roof without the fear of being prosecuted. The state will allow them to continue their lifestyle as long as they do not break any other laws.

The Brown family was overwhelmed with the Sister Wives win and ruling, said their attorney, Jonathan Turley:

“This was a historic ruling that I believe will stand the test of time … The important thing is that they now can move back to Utah … They now have the choice.”

Turley said the Sister Wives would continue the legal battle to an appeals court or even the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary.

U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups ruled in favor of the Sister Wives win in December, but he held back on a final ruling as he weighed whether Kody Brown and his four wives could collect attorneys’ fees.

However, Sister wives win lawsuit in Utah after a federal judge strikes down parts of the state’s anti-polygamy law.

Waddoups ruled in their favor on that issue Wednesday, capping a landmark decision for the Sister Wives that sued Utah in 2011 after a county prosecutor threatened to charge them following the premiere of the TV show. It wasn’t immediately clear how much the Browns could collect in attorneys’ fees.

Waddoups had ruled that a provision of Utah’s law forbidding cohabitation violated the Browns’ freedom of religion, which was key in the Sister Wives win.

Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes said in February he intended to appeal the ruling once it was made final. On Wednesday, his office said in a written statement that it was reviewing the ruling and “will make final determination of whether or not to appeal one or more of the issues in the decision within the coming weeks.”

Reyes told ABC News via a statement his office is determining whether to appeal the ruling in the Sister Wives win.

“The attorney general’s office is currently reviewing Judge Waddoups’ ruling of Brown v. Herbert and will make final determination of whether or not to appeal one or more of the issues in the decision within the coming weeks … It is important to legally assess the ruling’s scope and how it will impact future litigation.”

However, the Sister Wives win doesn’t make bigamy legal. The distinction is that Utah’s “cohabitation” phrasing made just living together illegal. That covered Brown who is only legally married to one of his reality TV Sister wives. He is simply living with the other women, and even though he presents them as “wives,” legally they aren’t.

Prior to the Sister Wives win, the Browns said they were forced to leave Utah for Las Vegas in 2011 in fear of prosecution. Turley said Wednesday he didn’t know if the Brown family would return in the wake of the Sister Wives ruling.