Although I’ve been following the news coverage of the polygamist sect case, this is my first post about it. I’ve stayed away from covering the case because it’s so complex, and I believe a post here and a post there wouldn’t provide the attention this case deserves. I encourage you, however, to visit Scott Henson’s blog, Grits for Breakfast, which provides excellent coverage of the case and a host of other great posts.
That said, I couldn’t help but recognize this story in today’s Los Angeles Times, titled “Sect hearings are a logistical scramble.” The article discusses the large number of attorneys flocking to San Angelo, Texas to represent children in the case. The state is struggling to coordinate legal representation for the 416 children taken into temporary state custody, and state law requires a hearing in these cases within 14 days. From the article:
After hearing two days of testimony, the judge ruled Friday that all 416 remain in the state’s custody while officials investigate whether they were at risk at the YFZ — Yearning for Zion — Ranch operated by the FLDS, a sect that broke away from the Mormon Church in the 1930s. Its members believe in divinely inspired polygamous marriage involving underage girls.
