Judge Blocks New Jersey Sexting Charges

by Jordan Yerman | April 1, 2009 at 10:32 am

191 views | 10 Recommendations | 0 comments

A New Jersey judge has blocked the prosecution of three teenage girls over a sexting charge, following a request by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

The ACLU argues that the images sent by the girls were not pornographic in nature, as they were not meant for broadcast: the images were only discovered when the phones on which they were stored were confiscated.

U.S. District Judge James M. Munley granted a request by the American Civil Liberties Union to temporarily stop Mr. Skumanick from filing felony charges against the Tunkhannock Area School District students.

“We’re grateful the judge recognized that prosecuting these girls ... raises serious constitutional issues,” ACLU attorney Witold J. Walczak said.

The ACLU lawsuit argues the photographs in which the girls appear are not pornographic and should be protected under the First Amendment.