SAN FRANCISCO — A federal appeals court has rejected an appeal by lawyers for the FLDS border towns over whether members of Warren Jeffs’ polygamous church should be compelled to give deposition testimony.
In a short order posted Friday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the appeal by Hildale and Colorado City, saying “this court may lack jurisdiction over the appeal because an order granting a motion to compel discovery is generally not immediately appealable.”
“Within 21 days after the date of this order, appellants shall move for voluntary dismissal of the appeal or show cause why it should not be dismissed for lack of jurisdiction. If appellants elect to show cause, a response may be filed within 10 days after service of appellants’ memorandum,” the court said.
Read the 9th Circuit Court’s order here:
Lawyers are seeking to quash testimony from Fundamentalist LDS Church members about the inner-workings of the polygamous church. It’s part of a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Justice Department against Hildale and Colorado City, accusing the town governments of discriminating against non-FLDS members.
