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Bigamy is the act of marrying one person while being legally married to another. Polygamy is the practice or custom (often religious) of having more than one wife or husband at a time. Most states prohibit a party from having more than one marriage license at a time, and in most states bigamy is a crime.

In Tennessee, both bigamy and polygamy are prohibited by law. Bigamy is explicitly illegal under Tennessee Code Annotated Section 39-15-301, which defines the offense as being married to more than one person at the same time. This statute makes it a Class A misdemeanor for anyone to be married to two or more people simultaneously, which is punishable by up to 11 months and 29 days in jail, a fine, or both. Polygamy, which involves having multiple spouses, is not separately defined in Tennessee law but is encompassed within the prohibition against bigamy. As such, any marriage entered into in Tennessee while another marriage is still legally recognized is not valid and can lead to criminal charges. It's important to note that no state in the United States legally recognizes polygamous marriages, and federal law also prohibits the practice.

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Marriage

bigamy

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Tennessee State Code

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Marriage

bigamy

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