Argued on November 14–15, 1878, Reynolds v. United States was a key case in the history of litigation bearing on the First Amendment, specifically the free exercise of religious beliefs. The case involved polygamy as practiced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), commonly referred to as the Mormon Church. In 1862, the federal Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act was passed, outlawing the practice of polygamy in the United States, including U.S. territories. One George Reynolds was charged in Utah Territory with violating the act by taking a wife while still married to another woman. He argued in court that his religious duty as a Mormon required him to marry multiple women and that therefore the law was a violation of his civil rights under the First Amendment to the Constitution. The case presented the question of whether a religious duty was a defense against a criminal charge.