George Reynolds
E48559
George Reynolds was the 19th-century Mormon defendant whose challenge to federal anti-polygamy laws led to the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Reynolds v. United States, which helped define the limits of religious freedom under the First Amendment.
Statements (34)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Mormon
→
person → religious defendant → |
| affiliation | Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints → |
| associatedWithEvent | federal campaign against Mormon polygamy in the 19th century → |
| centuryOfActivity | 19th century → |
| charge | bigamy under the Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act → |
| countryOfCitizenship |
United States of America
→
surface form: "United States"
|
| dateOfCaseDecision | 1879 → |
| defendantIn | Reynolds v. United States → |
| historicalSignificance | central figure in early U.S. jurisprudence on religious liberty → |
| impact |
early precedent on the Free Exercise Clause
→
established that religious belief is protected but religiously motivated conduct can be regulated → helped define limits of religious freedom under the First Amendment → |
| jurisdictionOfCase | Supreme Court of the United States → |
| legalContext |
Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act
→
surface form: "Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act of 1862"
federal regulation of marriage in U.S. territories → |
| legalIssue |
bigamy
→
federal anti-polygamy laws → |
| legalOutcome |
convicted under federal anti-polygamy statute
→
conviction upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court → |
| legalPrincipleAtIssue |
Free Exercise Clause
→
surface form: "First Amendment free exercise of religion"
distinction between religious belief and religiously motivated action → |
| maritalStatus | practitioner of plural marriage → |
| movement |
Latter-day Saint movement churches
→
surface form: "Latter-day Saint movement"
|
| notableFor |
being the defendant in Reynolds v. United States
→
challenging federal anti-polygamy laws → his role in a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case on religious freedom → |
| occupation | church employee → |
| placeOfActivity |
Utah
→
surface form: "Utah Territory"
|
| relatedCase | Reynolds v. United States → |
| religion |
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
→
Mormonism → |
| roleInCase | test case defendant selected by LDS Church leaders → |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.