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FLDS Towns Freed From Court Supervision
30 Jan
Summary
- FLDS communities gained freedom from court supervision in July 2025.
- Warren Jeffs' 2011 conviction fractured the sect's influence.
- Towns faced federal oversight for denying services to nonbelievers.
The communities of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Arizona, known historically as the Short Creek community, were released from court supervision on July 2, 2025. This release occurred nearly two years earlier than anticipated, marking a significant shift for the former stronghold of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS). The FLDS had settled in the remote area along the Arizona-Utah border in the 1930s after breaking from the mainstream Mormon church.
For decades, the FLDS exerted control over the municipal governments and shared police force of these adjacent towns. However, this grip weakened considerably following the 2011 conviction of sect leader Warren Jeffs for sexually assaulting two girls. Federal prosecutors had accused the towns of systematic denial of basic services, such as water hookups and police protection, to those outside the sect. This led to a court placing the towns under supervision in April 2017 to overhaul their governance.
