High court upholds marriage of teenager

Monday, March 17, 2003 | 8:44 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court reversed itself Friday and upheld the validity of the marriage of a 15-year-old girl to her 48-year-old guitar teacher in Las Vegas.

The court, in a 4-3 decision Friday, affirmed the ruling of District Judge Robert Gaston, who permitted SierraDawn Kirkpatrick to marry Sauren Crow.

In April 2002, the court had ordered the annulment of the marriage of the New Mexico couple.

Justice Bob Rose had been one of the votes for the annulment in that previous decision, but on Friday he switched sides and helped uphold the marriage.

The issue may be moot because the girl turned 16 in December 2001 and now doesn't need permission to marry.

Nevada law says a minor under 16 needs the permission of one parent to marry, along with the authorization of the District Court, which must find extraordinary circumstances exists.

Kirkpatrick had permission from her mother, but her father, Bruce Kirkpatrick, who shared custody of the daughter, was never notified. The father asked that the law be declared unconstitutional because both parents did not give consent.

Justice Miriam Shearing wrote in the majority opinion Friday: "Consent of both parents is by no means a constitutional requirement for even the most important decisions regarding minors as Kirkpatrick alleges."