Reality TV stars Kody Brown and his four wives say they just want one thing: to be left alone.

As authorities investigate them for bigamy, the TLC "Sister Wives" family is asking a federal judge to overturn part of Utah's bigamy law because it bans them from living together and criminalizes sexual relationships between unmarried consenting adults.

"What they are asking for is the right to structure their own lives, their own family, according to their faith and their beliefs," said Jonathan Turley, their attorney, adding that the lawsuit is about privacy — not polygamy.

The case in federal court in Utah, however, could open up the possibility that a way of life for tens of thousands of self-described Mormon fundamentalists could be decriminalized.

While all states outlaw bigamy, some like Utah have laws that both prohibit having more than one marriage license at a time and also ban adults from living together and having a sexual relationship.

The latter provision could include same-sex couples, unmarried heterosexual couples and those, like the Browns, who do not have licenses but have created within their homes a marriage-like relationship.

(CNN) -- A new Republican ad appears to suggest that Barack Obama has al but won the presidential race, an argument several vulnerable Senate Republicans may have to reluctantly embrace with only days until Election Day, an expert in campaign advertising said.

Aimed at Kay Hagan, Sen. Elizabeth Dole's surprisingly strong Democratic challenger in North Carolina, the 30-second spot from the National Republican Senatorial Committee warns voters against Democrats holding the White House and Congress, and flatly states that if Hagan wins, the party will "get a blank check."

"These liberals want complete control of government in a time of crisis, all branches of government," the ad's narrator states. "No check and balances, no debate, no independence. That's the truth behind Kay Hagan. If she wins, they get a blank check."

Committee Online Communications Director John Randall denied that the ad is suggesting that GOP nominee John McCain will lose out on the White House.

"The NRSC is not conceding a Barack Obama presidency," he said. "Fiscally irresponsible liberals like Kay Hagan are not the answer in these tough economic times and would only make things worse. Our ad was intended to highlight Hagan's many failings in light of the Democrats' promise to close debate should they control the executive and legislative branches of the federal government."

But with polls warning of a GOP bloodbath November 4, vulnerable senators in red states may have no other option but to suggest that Obama will capture the White House and warn that the Illinois senator needs to be checked by Senate Republicans. Watch more on the fight for battleground states »

"They are basically painting the picture that the presidential race is over," said Evan Tracey of Campaign Media Analysis Group, CNN's consultant on ad spending. "Overall, people prefer divided government. This is that divided government argument: 'Don't hand sole control over to one party.' "

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Philadelphia - Mayor Michael Nutter proved that he could work a room - even a huge one with hundreds of lawyers - at yesterday's Bar Association Quarterly Meeting and Luncheon in the Park Hyatt Hotel's grand ballroom.

The mayor's first address to the 13,000-member association, the oldest bar association in the country, was laced with humor although the mayor insisted that he's not a very good joke teller - he often forgets the punch line. But, he noted, he has impressive skills in sarcastic comebacks.

In a roomful of dignitaries, including Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham and the Honorable Ronald D. Castille, Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the mayor admitted that it was still "quite embarrassing" to listen to laudatory introductions of himself. "I hope soon we can just go with 'He's here!'"

Mayor Nutter acknowledged the awarding of the Bar Association's iconic golden snuff box, its highest honor, to the former Chancellor of the Bar Association, Jane Dalton, whose remarks preceded his. Ms. Dalton spoke of the strides the organization has made over the last year, including the retention and promotion of women attorneys.

Mr. Nutter, who promised no lawyer jokes and stuck to that promise, then addressed some vital issues affecting the city and its law community in his 30 minute remarks.

"Historically, lawyers have played a central role in government, and will hopefully continue to. Your pro bono efforts are critically important and you've handled diversity issues impressively."

The mayor also outlined his determination to change the public's mindset about city government, emphasizing that in some ways, the city is actually a $4 billion corporation with citizens as stockholders who, in his words, "...have the right to expect high quality services and the lowest possible cost."

The mayor's commitment to increase the population of Philadelphia by 75,000 people over the next five years would, he suggested yesterday, inure to the benefit of lawyers as well as other professionals and businesses in the city.

One of the comments that drew loud applause was Mayor Nutter's promise that in his sweeping ethical reforms, the days of "...who you are or who you are connected to are over."

One special plea to the legal community came with the mayor's urging of law firms to help lower the criminal recidivism rate in the city, which is currently a sobering 72 percent, by making efforts to give those who have struggled a break by hiring them. The same urging to the city's legal community concerned reaching out to young people who need mentors and models.