Montana man seeks license to marry additional wife, cites Roberts' gay-marriage dissent
A Montana man who appeared in an episode of the TV show Sister Wives applied for a license to marry an additional wife on Tuesday, saying he was inspired by Chief Justice John G. Roberts’ dissent to the Supreme Court ruling finding a constitutional right to gay marriage.
Nathan Collier is already legally married to Vicki and he wants to also marry Christine, whom he committed to in a religious wedding ceremony, the Associated Press reports. “My second wife Christine, who I’m not legally married to, she’s put up with my crap for a lot of years. She deserves legitimacy,” he told the wire service.
Collier and the two women applied for the marriage license on Tuesday at the Yellowstone County Courthouse in Billings. They were initially turned down, but Collier says he has since been informed that the county attorney is reviewing the issue and will send him a formal response. He plans to sue if he is turned down.
Collier said he was inspired by Roberts’ dissent in Obergefell v. Hodges. Roberts had warned that the majority’s reasoning “would apply with equal force to the claim of a fundamental right to plural marriage.” MTN News and the Washington Times also have stories. Hat tip to How Appealing.
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “ ‘Sister wives’ star wins partial victory in challenge to Utah’s polygamy ban”
