| Summary: | From the 16th century, the Monarchy banned officers at Courts in the Americas from marrying in their own district without a license, in order to socially isolate them and gain their unbiasedness. Notwithstanding, such ban, very controversial at the time as it opposed the freedom of wedlock already recognized by Canon Law, did not prevent many ministers and their offspring from getting married within their jurisdiction grounds. In fact, the Crown granted and sold multiple licenses and, in addition, a number of ministers celebrated their weddings without due dispensations and without any punishment. This paper addresses the cases against four officers from Courts in the Americas in Panama, Charcas, Lima and Chile, who were convicted for challenging the ban. I will specially focus on their defense strategies, examining the legal claims (porcones or adductions), circulated in the course of the legal case
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