Utah polygamy ban restored in loss for 'Sister Wives' family

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A federal appeals court restored Utah's ban on polygamy Monday, handing a defeat to the family from TV's "Sister Wives" and other polygamists who say the ruling could send plural families back into hiding out of fear of prosecution.

Others cheered the decision that they say will help authorities prosecute people for crimes tied to the practice, such as underage marriage and sexual assault.

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed a 2013 ruling that struck down key parts of Utah's law against bigamy, or holding multiple marriage licenses.

The decision brings back a rule forbidding married people from living with a second purported "spouse," making Utah's law stricter than those in every other state and creating a threat of arrest for plural families.

The family has said other laws exist to target crimes linked to plural marriages and that banning the practice can sow distrust of authority.