Court Sides With Polygamists
Government agents had no legal right to seize hundreds of children from a Mormon fundamentalist compound in Texas, an appeals court has ruled. The government argued that the children were suffering abuse, but the court decided the children had been in no immediate danger.Government agents had no legal right to seize hundreds of children from a Mormon fundamentalist compound in Texas, an appeals court has ruled. The government argued that the children were suffering abuse, but the court decided the children had been in no immediate danger.
Rock Solid JournalismBBC:
The court said that the reasons given for the children’s removal were “legally and factually insufficient”.
But it did not immediately order the return of the children to the ranch.
In April, officials raided a compound of the sect, saying young girls were being forced into marriage and sex. The children were placed into foster care.
But the Texas Third Appeal Court ruled that officials failed to demonstrate the children were in any immediate danger, which is the only legally allowable reason for taking children from their homes without court proceedings.
In 2026, amid chaos and the nonstop flurry of headlines, Truthdig remains independent, fact-based and focused on exposing what power tries to hide.
Support Independent Journalism.
Courts & Law
The impact of junk science in criminal cases is well known, yet family courts continue to allow a disputed psychological theory to persist with little scrutiny.
ProPublica obtained police reports and call logs from more than two-thirds of the shelters housing immigrant children. Here’s what they show.
"Roxy died due to medical negligence by U.S. immigration authorities," a statement from immigrant rights groups says. "Why incarcerate and torture her like this?"
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.