The first Republican primary debate gave a boost to candidates like Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina, but who will come out ahead this time? Our guest breaks down the second Republican primary debate; looking at winners, losers and what happens next. Also, Buzz Aldrin joins us to talk about his new book on colonizing Mars, and we hear an argument for creating a ‘sexting’ law in Wisconsin, which is not specifically addressed in current law.
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Attorney Calls For Updating Wisconsin Statutes To Address 'Sexting'
A criminal defense attorney says it’s time for Wisconsin to update state statutes to deal with sexting cases involving consensual minors.
“Wisconsin does not have a specific statute that addresses what’s commonly referred to as sexting, which leaves prosecutors with really blunt tools,” said Dave Stegall, a criminal defense attorney with Lawton & Cates. “The options available for charging are typically child pornography charges or a variant of that, which is called exposing a child to harmful material. Both of those are felonies, and both of those can come with pretty severe consequences.”
A teen sexting case in North Carolina is making national headlines for the severity of the possible punishment. A 17-year-old student is facing felony charges of child pornography and possible sex offender status for consensually exchanging sexual images with his girlfriend, who is also a minor.
In states like Wisconsin and North Carolina where there are no specific laws aimed at sexting, Stegall said the discretion of the charges falls on local district attorneys and other prosecutors. He added that charges can range from carrying a mandatory prison sentence to house supervision and probation.
States with sexting laws on the books may serve as a blueprint for new laws in Wisconsin, said Stegall. In those states, sexting between consensual underage people is typically categorized as a misdemeanor or petty offense.
“Other areas for improvement would be maybe building an affirmative defense that if there is evidence that a person received an image but took actions to delete that image relatively quickly, then that could give a person legal defense. None of that is an option in the current state of the law, unfortunately,” Stegall said.
While he does not condone sexting, Stegall said it’s clear that Wisconsin needs new laws that will not issue unjust penalties but also protect parties from nonconsensual exchanging of images, a phenomenon commonly referred to as “revenge porn.”
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Buzz Aldrin Advocates Colonizing Mars
Buzz Aldrin is advocating the colonization of Mars in his new children’s book, “Welcome to Mars: Making a Home on the Red Planet.”
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Republicans Spar At The Reagan Presidential Library In Their Second Debate
Daily Beast contributor David Freedlander breaks down the winners and losers of the second Republican primary debate.
Episode Credits
- Rob Ferrett Host
- Veronica Rueckert Host
- Chris Malina Producer
- Galen Druke Producer
- Buzz Aldrin Guest
- David Freedlander Guest
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