New book from Mark Goldfeder: Legalizing Plural Marriage |

Mark Goldfeder argues that polygamy is the next step in the development of U.S. family law, following the legalization of same-sex marriage, in his new book, Legalizing Plural Marriage: the Next Frontier in Family Law (Brandeis, 2017).

He explores the legislative and administrative arguments that frame plural marriages as not as far-fetched or as far off as we might thing. According to Goldfeder, not only is polygamy in keeping with the legislative values and freedoms of the United States, it would not be difficult to manage within our current legal system. His legal analysis includes examples of plural marriage in diverse cultural and historical contexts.

Polygamy is currently illegal in the United States, yet it is practiced by members of some religious communities and a growing number of other "poly" groups. "In the radically changing and increasingly multicultural world in which we live, the time has come to define polygamous marriage and address its legal feasibilities," Goldfeder writes.

Goldfeder is senior lecturer at Emory Law and director of the Restoring Religious Freedom Project at the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University, where he is also Spruill Family Senior Fellow in Law and Religion. He received his Juris Doctor from New York University and his master of laws and doctorate at Emory Law.