Arizona ‘Revenge Porn’ Bill Moves Forward

The Arizona House Judiciary Committee approved a bill that would make it a felony to share someone else’s nude pictures without his or her permission.

Although the lawmakers on the panel were generally supportive of the concept of House Bill 2515, there were a lot of concerns, like who exactly would be charged with a crime for sharing such images.

 

Democratic Representative Martin Quezada said the bill doesn’t appear to protect people who weren’t the first to share the images. Representative Lupe Contreras, also a Democrat, wondered if this would result in a bunch of kids ending up with felonies on their records.

The sponsor of the bill, Republican Representative J.D. Mesnard, admitted those might be issues but said he’s open to clarifying these concerns in the legislation.

Before this hearing, U of A law professor Derek Bambauer told New Times the bill is “almost certainly unconstitutional” on First Amendment grounds.

An example Bambauer provided was if a newspaper published picture of Monica Lewinsky and President Bill Clinton in a sex act, which would be a matter of public concern and protected by the First Amendment.

Continue reading about the Arizona Revenge Porn bill at the Phoenix New Times…