No. 19-6100

Melvyn Perry Sprowson, Jr. v. Nevada

Lower Court: Nevada
Docketed: 2019-10-01
Status: Denied
Type: IFP
Response RequestedResponse WaivedRelisted (2)IFP
Tags: ashcroft-v-free-speech-coalition child-pornography constitutional-limits facial-challenge first-amendment free-speech new-york-v-ferber obscenity obscenity-standards overbreadth sexual-abuse state-regulation
Key Terms:
AdministrativeLaw FirstAmendment DueProcess HabeasCorpus Privacy JusticiabilityDoctri
Latest Conference: 2020-01-10 (distributed 2 times)
Question Presented (AI Summary)

Whether a state regulation of child pornography that fails to satisfy all four requirements set forth in Ferber and that criminalizes conduct that is neither 'obscene nor the product of sexual abuse' is facially unconstitutional and/or overbroad?

Question Presented (OCR Extract)

QUESTION PRESENTED Nevada defines “child pornography” to include any depiction of a minor that “appeals to a shameful or morbid interest in the sexuality of the minor and which does not have serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value, according to the views of an average person applying contemporary community standards”. Yet, this definition of “child pornography” violates New York v. Ferber, 458 U.S. 747 (1982), because it is not “limited to works that visually depict sexual conduct of children below a specified age” and because it does not suitably limit and describe “the category of sexual conduct proscribed”. The definition also violates Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition, 535 U.S. 232 (2002), by criminalizing conduct that is neither “obscene nor the product of sexual abuse.” Therefore, this petition presents the following question: Whether a state regulation of child pornography that fails to satisfy all four requirements set forth in Ferber and that criminalizes conduct that is neither “obscene nor the product of sexual abuse” is facially unconstitutional and/or overbroad? -ii

Docket Entries

2020-01-13
Petition DENIED.
2019-12-19
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 1/10/2020.
2019-12-13
Reply of petitioner Melvyn Sprowson filed.
2019-12-03
Brief of respondent State of Nevada in opposition filed.
2019-11-04
Response Requested. (Due December 4, 2019)
2019-10-24
DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 11/8/2019.
2019-10-10
Waiver of right of respondent State of Nevada to respond filed.
2019-09-27
Petition for a writ of certiorari and motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis filed. (Response due October 31, 2019)

Attorneys

Melvyn Sprowson
P. David WestbrookClark County Public Defender, Petitioner
State of Nevada
Jonathan Eugene VanBoskerckOffice of the District Attorney, Clark County, Nevada, Respondent