Sect Case Judge Won't Sign Reunion Order
In a surprise move, the Texas Supreme Court judge in the polygamist sect child custody case refused to sign the order releasing the children until after all the lawyers and their clients could agree on it, reports CBS News correspondent Hari Sreenivasan.
Anxious members of the El Dorado polygamist sect came to court Friday with hopes of being reunited with their children, who were taken from the Yearning for Zion Ranch by the state's Child Protective Services nearly two months ago. The agreement would have returned more than 400 children to their parents by the end of next week.
But the court set preconditions for the children's release, including:
And not all the children would be allowed to go home, as lawyers expect Child Protective Services to keep custody of a handful of girls that they believe were younger than the legal age of 16 when they married or became pregnant.
"It appears to be a fair compromise to me," said Court Coordinator Guy Choate. "I mean, the children are going back … that's what everyone said they wanted. Everyone said they wanted the child not to be injured, not to be harmed, not to be subject to child sexual abuse. If you take everyone at their word this order will ensure that occurs."
Several lawyers pleaded with the court to reunite the kids this weekend, but the court said it was better to take the time, and get everything done right - putting the reunions on hold.
The key investigation now appears focused on Warren Jeffs, the imprisoned leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. An affidavit filed in Arizona charges that Jeffs married two 12-year-old girls and two 14-year-old girls before his arrest two years ago.