In North Dakota, it is illegal to marry your first cousin. State law explicitly prohibits marriage between first cousins, including both whole blood and half blood relationships. This prohibition extends to sexual relations and cohabitation as well, making it unlawful for first cousins to marry, live together, or have sexual relations. The law treats such relationships as incestuous and therefore void and unenforceable. This restriction applies equally to legitimate and illegitimate children or relatives.
However, marriage between more distant relatives such as first cousins once removed, second cousins, and more distant cousins is allowed. The law differentiates between close kinship relationships like first cousins and more distant familial ties, permitting marriage where the relationship is beyond first cousins.
North Dakota also does not recognize first cousin marriages legally performed in other states where such unions are allowed. This means that even if a first cousin marriage occurred elsewhere legally, it would not be valid or recognized under North Dakota law.
This legal stance reflects the state’s intent to restrict marriages considered incestuous to protect public health and social norms. The prohibition of first cousin marriage aligns North Dakota with many other states that ban such unions on genetic and societal grounds. While some states in the U.S. permit first cousin marriage under certain conditions, North Dakota firmly prohibits it by law.
In summary, marrying a first cousin in North Dakota is illegal and considered an incestuous marriage with no legal validity. More distant cousin marriages are permitted, but first cousins cannot marry, live together as spouses, or engage in sexual relations legally in the state. This prohibition also applies to recognizing such marriages performed out-of-state.
Sources
(https://us1033.com/kissing-cousins-in-north-dakota-unveiling-marriage-laws/)
(https://getordained.org/state-marriage-laws/north-dakota)
(https://www.ndcourts.gov/Media/Default/legal-resources/legal-self-help/Annulment/Annulment-Research-Guide.pdf)
(https://www.insideedition.com/gallery/kissing-cousins-states-where-marrying-your-relative-legal-48234)
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cousin_marriage_law_in_the_United_States)
