ADF: U.S. Supreme Court should deny review of attempt to legalize polygamy
Polygamists hope to use Lawrence v. Texas decision to expand protections for “intimate relationships”
Friday, January 12, 2007

WASHINGTON — Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund filed a friend-of-the-court brief today with the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of the Family Research Council, arguing that the court’s 2003 decision in Lawrence v. Texas does not support a constitutional right to polygamous relationships.

“Marriage is a revered social institution that is regulated by the state for the public good. It is properly protected from the ill effects of polygamy,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Chris Stovall. “However, when the Supreme Court ruled in Lawrence v. Texas that sodomy was constitutionally protected, it opened up a Pandora’s Box for other groups to hope that the ruling might be expanded to legalize other forms of relationships, including polygamy. Fortunately, courts have consistently limited the Lawrence decision to issues of criminal punishment for private, consensual sexual conduct between adults.” the rest