According to the venerable Christian Science Monitor, the Supremes will not be taking up the case of a Utah polygamist.

Most striking, however, was the argument of the lawyer for the defendant, which cuts to the bone of the matter:

“Widespread popular departure from traditional marriage practices has made the anti-polygamy laws, like laws against cohabitation, adultery, and fornication, anachronistic,” Parker wrote. “These laws are not enforced against those practicing contemporary lifestyles, but are asserted as weapons, as in this case, against those living a traditional, family-grounded, religious-based life.”

He added, “In gross absurdity…, one can behave in the same way in two circumstances but in one (polygamy) the action is illegal, and in the other (promiscuity) the action is ignored by the law. One can do legally the same act with immoral or amoral intent and have it be legal. Yet the same act with religious intent is deemed illegal.”

If a man were living with three women in an unmarried lifestyle, making babies with all of them, would he be considered criminal under the law? Well, no. It remains only to see when the laws against polygamy will buckle under the weight of their own absurdity.