I just had this io9 article sent to me which revolves around a literary censorship issue that has erupted.
A prolific collector of various types of manga in Iowa faces 15 years in prison because some of the books in his collection appeared to depict minors engaged in sexual acts.
From a Wired article on the case:
Christopher Handley, described by his lawyer as a “prolific collector” of manga, pleaded guilty last week to mailing obscene matter, and to “possession of obscene visual representations of the sexual abuse of children.” Three other counts were dropped in a plea deal with prosecutors.
The 39-year-old office worker was charged under the 2003 Protect Act, which outlaws cartoons, drawings, sculptures or paintings depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, and which lack “serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.” Handley’s guilty plea makes him the first to be convicted under that law for possessing cartoon art, without any evidence that he also collected or viewed genuine child pornography. He faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison
The 39-year-old office worker was charged under the 2003 Protect Act, which outlaws cartoons, drawings, sculptures or paintings depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, and which lack “serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.” Handley’s guilty plea makes him the first to be convicted under that law for possessing cartoon art, without any evidence that he also collected or viewed genuine child pornography. He faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison
It's a case to keep an eye on, especially if you happen to own the collected works of Nabokov
I don't get it. What does this have to do with the [US] Supreme Court? It looks like the plea was in a criminal trial and nowhere near the Supreme Court (which does not conduct trials).
Posted by: orcmid | May 29, 2009 at 10:37 AM
This brief article has nothing to do with the Supreme Court of the United States. The headline states that a "US Court," which could mean anything since it lacks specificity, has accepted a plea involving the "2003 Protect Act."
Looks like every library in the country may be subject to some idiot prosecutor aching to make a name for himself. I'm sure O'Bama will rectify eveything . . . . .
Posted by: teachem2think | May 30, 2009 at 09:40 AM
How do you determine whether or not a cartoon character is 18 years old?
Posted by: Jon K | June 10, 2009 at 10:16 AM
who decides what has “serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.” anyway. isnt everyones view of what is significant a personal decision? and how did they find out about what kind of literature he had anyway?
Posted by: Christina | June 21, 2009 at 03:49 AM
I think I have some illegal manga in my collection, and I'm not an adult myself.
Your personal blog is interesting so I thought I'd check this out too. Nice. heh :)
Posted by: Posey | June 23, 2009 at 01:08 PM