ALT LAKE CITY — According to the Utah Attorney General’s Office, there is no constitutional right to marry a laptop
Responding to a lawsuit filed against Governor Gary Herbert, Attorney General Sean Reyes, and Utah County Clerk Bryan Thompson, lawyers for the state asked a federal judge to dismiss it.
As reported by Fox13 Now, Chris Sevier sued the state of Utah, arguing that if same-sex marriage is legal he should be allowed to marry his computer. He recently amended his lawsuit to include John Gunter, Jr., and Whitney Kohl, who are arguing for the right to enter into a polygamous marriage.
Sevier has a history of filing similar lawsuits in other states. He is acting as his own attorney in this lawsuit, and has been 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 the filing, adding:
“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. Simply put, marrying a laptop computer or multiple partners are not rights protected by the Constitution.”
Sevier, who is acting as his own attorney, has made similar claims before. Last year, he filed a lawsuit in a Houston federal court alleging that he and his 2011 Apple MacBook were denied a marriage license. At the time, he vowed to file additional lawsuits in 12 more states, though it’s unclear if the Utah suit is part of that pledge. “The state is not doing anyone any favors by encouraging people to live that lifestyle,” he told The Houston Press at the time. “We have to define marriage.”
This time around, Sevier included John Gunter, Jr., and Whitney Kohl, who are fighting for the right to enter into a polygamous marriage, in his lawsuit, KSTU-TV reports. Regardless, the Utah Attorney General’s Office wasn’t having any of it, calling on a federal judge to dismiss Sevier’s suit because there is no constitutional right to marry a laptop.
“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,” assistant Utah Attorney General David Wolf wrote in the Tuesday filing, which can be viewed in full here. “Simply put, marrying a laptop computer or multiple partners are not rights protected by the Constitution.”
But Wolf didn’t stop there, offering a priceless retort for Sevier specifically. “Furthermore, even if that were not the case, unless Sevier’s computer has attained the age of 15,” he wrote, “it is too young to marry under Utah law.”
