Brown v. Buhman
Brown v. Buhman, No. 14-4117 (10th Cir. 2016), is a legal case in the United States federal courts challenging the State of Utah's criminal polygamy law. The action was filed in 2011 by polygamist Kody Brown along with his wives Meri Brown, Janelle Brown, Christine Brown, and Robyn Sullivan. The Brown family belongs to the Apostolic United Brethren faith. They are best known for the reality television series featuring them, Sister Wives.
| Brown v. Buhman | |
|---|---|
| Court | United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit |
| Full case name | Kody Brown; Meri Brown; Janelle Brown; Christine Brown; Robyn Sullivan, Plaintiffs-Appellees, v. Jeffrey R. Burhman, Defendant-Appellant, in his official capacity as County Attorney for Utah County |
| Decided | April 11, 2016 |
| Case history | |
| Prior action(s) | rev'g 947 F.Supp.2d 1170 (D. Utah 2013) |
| Court membership | |
| Judge(s) sitting | Scott M. Matheson, Jr. (joined by Bobby Baldock and Nancy Moritz) |
| Keywords | |
| standing, polygamy | |
| Mormonism and polygamy |
|---|
| Latter Day Saints portal |
The Browns prevailed in the district court in a 2013 ruling, but a unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit ordered the case to be dismissed on standing grounds in 2016. The Tenth Circuit concluded that because local Utah prosecutors had a policy of not pursuing most polygamy cases in the absence of additional associated crimes (e.g., welfare fraud or marriage of underage persons), the Browns had no credible fear of future prosecution and thus lacked standing.