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Utah: Marriage to laptop is not constitutionally protected

By Ben Hooper
The Utah Attorney General's Office said in a court filing that a man suing the state does not have the constitutional right to marry his laptop computer. Photo by PublicDomainPictures/Pixabay.com
The Utah Attorney General's Office said in a court filing that a man suing the state does not have the constitutional right to marry his laptop computer. Photo by PublicDomainPictures/Pixabay.com

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June 1 (UPI) -- The Utah Attorney General's Office said in a court filing that a man suing the state has no constitutional right to marry his laptop computer.

Chris Sevier filed a lawsuit against the state of Utah arguing that he should be allowed to marry his laptop computer, according to Fox 13 Salt Lake City, due to the legalization of same-sex marriage.

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The lawsuit, which names Gov. Gary Herbert, Attorney General Sean Reyes, and Utah County Clerk Bryan Thompson, was recently changed to include plaintiffs John Gunter Jr. and Whitney Kohl, who seek the right to enter into a polygamous marriage.

Sevier, who is acting as his own attorney, has filed similar suits outside of Utah. He is barred from practicing law in Tennessee.

"Plaintiffs contend that because the courts have recognized same-sex individuals' right to marry, this Court should further expand the right to marry to include unions between a person and a laptop computer and unions between multiple partners," assistant Utah Attorney General David Wolf wrote in a court filing obtained and published online by Fox 13 Salt Lake City.

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"These claims are untenable as a matter of law because Plaintiffs lack standing to bring these claims and the right to marry has not been indefinitely expanded, nor should it be," Wolf wrote. "Simply put, marrying a laptop computer or multiple partners are not rights protected by the Constitution."

The attorney general's office, which is asking a judge to dismiss the suit so it can't be refiled again in the state, said Sevier's argument also fails to take into account that his laptop computer is unable to consent to the union.

"Furthermore, even if that were not the case, unless Sevier's computer has attained the age of fifteen it is too young to marry under Utah law," Wolf wrote.

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