This case argues against the criminalization of teenagers who send explicit images of themselves under Minnesota's child pornography statute.
Case Update
Victory! On February 20, 2018, Judge John Cajacob dismissed changes against Jane Doe.
Case Background
The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota filed a brief in Jane Doe v. Rice County. Rice County charged 14-year-old Jane Doe with distribution of child pornography after she distributed an image of herself using the mobile messaging application, Snapchat. If found guilty, Jane Doe could face up to 10 years on the sex offender registry. The ACLU-MN argues in its brief that the Minnesota child pornography statute is intended to protect victims of child sexual exploitation. Interpreting the child pornography statute to punish teenagers who send images of themselves violates free-speech rights under the First Amendment, raises vagueness concerns under the Fourteenth Amendment, and jeopardizes thousands of minors across the state by criminalizing increasingly common adolescent behavior.
The ACLU-MN is asking the Court to dismiss the charges against Jane Doe.
ATTORNEY(S)
ACLU-MN’s amicus curiae brief was written by: Lousene Hoppe, Fredrikson & Byron, P.A. and Teresa Nelson, ACLU of Minnesota.
