A Look at Strange Divorce Laws: The Quadruple Marriage Jeopardy Rule of Kentucky

It’s funny how many mysteries exist in the halls of legal history and discourse, so I consider this an in-depth look into the fundamentals of law as they were created pertaining to divorce. Recognize that some are actually quite interesting, others being unusual and even amusing. Overall, they tell us clues over the fact that divorce can get messy, but over time our Congress and state governments have definitely made improvements in dealing with divorce petitions since the biblical days when married people wanted to separate due to those “irreconcilable differences”!

For starters, we have Kentucky, a great state in its own right. You’d do a double take, though, when you find that there is, in fact, a specific divorce law permitting you not to remarry the same person four times. Why is that? Who knows…. Why four times? Answers, anyone?

It’s perhaps a limit as to how many times you can constantly remarry the same person, causing constant emotional and confusing harm legally and practically. That would be my guess. This is further confusing as we look at the fact of this divorce X4 – it’s with the same two people! I can’t imagine the many files for two such people, having cases on four different occasions detailing specifics of each divorce each time. This would tie up the family law system, I’d expect.

Not only does it increase the rate of remarriages, but also the rate of divorces, obviously – but for no real good apparent reason. One would think a couple would’ve gotten it right the first time – especially if they’ve remarried back to each other! Go figure. I’m at a loss for words on this, and if anyone has any ideas as to why Kentucky had this law passed so long ago, let me know. I’m baffled.