Potter v. Murray City

760 F.2d 1065 (1985)

From our private database of 46,500+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Potter v. Murray City

United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
760 F.2d 1065 (1985)

  • Written by Haley Gintis, JD

Facts

Royston E. Potter (plaintiff) was terminated from his employment as a police officer in Murray City, Utah (defendant). Potter was terminated for violating Article III of the Utah Constitution by practicing polygamy, which was forbidden under state law. In response, Potter filed a suit against the city, the chief of police, the Murray City Civil Service Commission, Utah’s governor, Utah’s attorney general, and the state itself (defendants). Because Utah’s prohibition on polygamy was mandated by Congress in the Utah Enabling Act, under which Utah was admitted into the Union, the United States (defendant) was also brought into the suit. Potter argued that the law prohibiting polygamy was unconstitutional because it violated (1) his right to the free exercise of religion found in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution; (2) his right to privacy found in the Fourteenth Amendment; and (3) his rights to due process and equal protection, also found in the Fourteenth Amendment, because the law was in desuetude (i.e., discontinued due to disuse). Potter also argued that the law was void because of the equal-footing doctrine. The district court entered a verdict for the defendants. Potter appealed.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Holloway, C.J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 833,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

Here's why 833,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,500 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 833,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,500 briefs - keyed to 994 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership