Stupid judges strike again

BunsenBurner
Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:30:24 +0000

Apparently in our state (WA) pervs have every right to do this, too:

[Local News | ‘Upskirt’ photographs deemed lewd but legal | Seattle Times Newspaper](http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/PrintStory.pl?document_id=134539194&slug=voyeur20m0&date=20020920)



It’s disgusting, the state Supreme Court opined.
It’s reprehensible, the court added for good measure.

But it is not a crime to secretly take pictures up women’s skirts in public places, according to the high-court opinion handed down yesterday.

The opinion came in response to appeals by two men who challenged the state’s voyeurism law.



Aha, but one can not do it freely in Seattle:

[City closes loophole in state law on voyeurism](http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/99212_upskirt10.shtml)



The City Council yesterday closed a loophole in the state voyeurism law, making it illegal to film or photograph under someone’s clothing in a public place.

Anyone caught filming or transmitting the images in the city will face a gross misdemeanor charge, which carries a $5,000 fine and up to one year in jail.

“This will ban this particularly obnoxious kind of voyeurism,” said Councilman Jim Compton, who introduced the legislation. He added: "I have only one word to say to people who do this: ‘They’re creeps.’ "

…

The city’s law will also ban the transmission of images. The court may also order those taped images to be destroyed.

“This is a question of privacy,” Councilman Nick Licata said. “It’s a question of people feeling safe and free wherever they go.”

Compton added that he didn’t want to wait for the state to take action first because it may be months before that can happen.

“Our hope is that the state will take our lead,” he said.

New technology lets voyeurs use concealed cameras, as small as a quarter, to photograph unsuspecting women and girls and then distribute those pictures on the Web, Compton said.

Domestic violence experts who testified at a public forum also noted that such voyeurism is often connected with other behavior, including child pornography, domestic violence and sexual assault.