National
Law Journal:
Polygamy Alleged
A San Francisco activist Oct. 15 petitioned Utah bar authorities to strip Paul
Kingston and Carl E. Kingston of their licenses to practice law. The two are
prominent members of the Latter Day Church of Christ, a polygamist Utah sect led
by the Kingstons and their sprawling clan.
According to Linda Walker, the founder of the Child Protection Project, (www.childpro.org),
the Kingstons' practice and advocacy of polygamy violates their oaths to uphold
the Utah Constitution, which specifically outlaws the practice.
"These two men shouldn't be practicing law," said Ms. Walker.
"It's a mockery of the justice system."
The Kingstons were the focus of national attention this summer when a
16-year-old Utah girl told police that she had been beaten by her father, John
D. Kingston, after she had fled an arranged marriage to her uncle, David O.
Kingston.
Paul Kingston is reported to have conducted the ceremony, and Carl Kingston
represented John Kingston, his cousin, on charges of child abuse arising from
the incident. David Kingston was charged with incest.
Carl Kingston is also the subject of a disciplinary complaint filed this past
summer by a Utah lawyer on a ground similar to Ms. Walker's. Neither Carl
Kingston nor Paul Kingston responded to telephone calls seeking comment.
Billy Walker, senior counsel to the state bar's Office of Professional Conduct,
said that confidentiality rules prevent him from saying whether the Kingstons
are under investigation.
--Bob Van Voris
written by Bob Van Voris of the National Law Journal
