震惊 犹他州法官判决一夫多妻合法

A federal judge in Utah has issued a final ruling that strikes down parts of the state's anti-polygamy law in a lawsuit filed by the family that appears on the TV show "Sister Wives."

美国犹他州一名联邦法官8月27日（周三）做出最终判决，取消该州法律中反对一夫多妻制的部分。该判决由电视真人秀节目《我的妻子们是好姐妹》引起的。

U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups ruled in favor of the stars of the TLC reality show in December, but he held back on a final ruling as he weighed whether Kody Brown and his four wives could collect attorneys' fees.

美国地区法官克拉克·瓦杜普斯在去年12月曾做出了有利于TLC真人秀节目演员的判决，但是在是否该由科迪·布朗及他的四个妻子来承担律师费的问题上并未给出最后的判决结果。

Waddoups ruled in their favor on that issue Wednesday, capping a landmark decision for the family 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.

瓦杜普斯于周三做出了有利于布朗的最终判决，这对因电视真人秀而在2011年惹上官司的布朗一家人具有里程碑式的意义。但是布朗家族具体要支付多少律师费还不清楚。

Waddoups had ruled that a provision of Utah's law forbidding cohabitation violated the Browns' freedom of religion.

瓦杜普斯裁定犹他州禁止同居的规定侵犯了布朗的宗教自由。

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."

犹他州首席检察官西恩·雷耶斯今年2月份时曾表示此案一旦终结他会接着上诉。周三，雷耶斯办公室发表的一份书面声明中称判决正在复审当中，“并在接下来的几周中会最终决定是否对该案的判决提起上诉”。

The Brown family was overwhelmed and thankful for the ruling, said their attorney, Jonathan Turley.

布朗家族的律师乔纳森·特雷说布朗和他的妻子们对此次判决表示开心和感谢。

"This was a historic ruling that I believe will stand the test of time," Turley said. He said the family would continue the legal battle to an appeals court or even the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary.“

这是一次历史性的判决，我认为它经得起时间的考验。”特雷说，如果有必要，布朗家族会继续同上诉法庭甚至是美国最高法庭继续这场法律斗争。

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 ruling.

布朗家族称因害怕被起诉他们于2011年被迫离开犹他州前往拉斯维加斯。特雷周三表示他还不清楚他们是否此次判决之后会立即回来。

"The important thing is that they now can move back to Utah," Turley said, adding that the family has missed the state. "They now have the choice."

“重要的是现在他们能够回到犹他州了。”特雷补充说，布朗一家人非常想念犹他州，“现在他们终于能够选择了。”

Fundamentalist Mormon polygamists believe polygamy brings exaltation in heaven. The mainstream Mormon church strictly prohibits the practice.

原教旨主义的摩门教教徒认为只有奉行一夫多妻制的人才能上天堂，而主流的摩门教徒后来严格禁止了这种行为。