ACLU Sues Over Arizona ‘Revenge Porn’ Bill

The American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona says a new state law making so-called “revenge porn” illegal is so broad it criminalizes booksellers, artists and even historians.

The ACLU alleges in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday that the law is so broadly written that it can make any person who distributes or displays a nude image without explicit permission guilty of a felony. The group says that violates the First Amendment.

Gov. Jan Brewer signed the measure into law in April after it unanimously passed the Senate and House.

Republican Rep. J.D. Mesnard of Chandler crafted the bill in response to “revenge porn” posted online by jilted lovers. He says he doubts any prosecutor would use the law as the ACLU imagines but is willing to change it to provide exemptions.

The Associated Press