"I expect those investigations to go on independently," said Rod Parker, an attorney acting as a spokesman for the FLDS people.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is reviewing the court order, but he's leaving the response up to the state's Department of Family and Protective Services, his spokeswoman, Krista Piferrer, told the Deseret News.

"Our office received a copy of the court order, and we are reviewing it. We are being briefed by DFPS, who is determining the next step," Piferrer said, making it clear the governor was not named in the legal action.

"Was this a surprise? We're not a party in the lawsuit, so you may want to ask DFPS," she said when asked about Perry's reaction to the ruling. But, she said, now that the governor knows what the court has decided, "we have to look forward to what the next steps will be."

After hearing the news outside the San Angelo courthouse, one FLDS woman said, "There is justice in America."

The woman was standing with William Crouse, a parenting instructor from the House of Yahweh, which is another religious group in Texas that has come under scrutiny by state officials. Criminal charges have been filed against members of that group, alleging it is a "sex cult."

"People are finally starting to see through it," Crouse said. "They're attacking these people for what they believe in. It's nothing but malarkey."

"It's definitely moving in the right direction," said James Dockstader who arrived at the courthouse with his wife Nancy for a hearing involving their five children.

"We are so grateful someone will actually listen to the facts and look at us as individual families," Nancy Dockstader added.

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Contributing: Lisa Riley Roche

E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com; amyjoi@desnews.com