Idaho Supreme Court won’t weigh legality of child marriage

By REBECCA BOONE
Associated Press

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A legal loophole that allows parents of teens to nullify child custody agreements by arranging child marriages will remain in effect under a ruling from the Idaho Supreme Court on Tuesday. In a split decision, the high court declined to decide whether Idaho’s child marriage law is unconstitutional. Instead, the justices said that once a child is emancipated by marriage, the family court loses jurisdiction over custody matters. Idaho allows 16- and 17-year-olds to marry if one parent agrees to the union. The case arose from a custody battle between a Boise woman and her ex-husband, who was accused of setting up a sham marriage for his daughter to end the custody fight.