We've had a few more discussions lately about Christopher Handley, an Iowa man whose possession of lolicon manga wound up with his being arrested on an obscenity charge. Handley's case has been followed with great interest by many, and even the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund offered some consultation on the matter, most recently offering that the law Handley is accused of breaking is unconstitutional at its core.
Today, Handley pled guilty to one charge of "possessing obscene visual representations of the sexual abuse of children."
While this may have wound up the best choice for Handley, who could see up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine (but who, by virtue of pleading guilty, will hopefully earn some leniency in sentencing), I'm disappointed because in the long run, it means that this law, which bans the possession of any visual depiction of minors engaging in sexual conduct and which I also feel is unconstitutional, will remain on the books for the time being. and the longer it's there, the more precedence it builds.
Again-- this could be the best choice for Handley, who may not have the resources to continue this trial up the levels of the court system necessary to get the law overturned, especially since it's unclear which direction our current Supreme Court would decide should it reach them.
Sigh.
Via MangaBlog.
