ACLU Sues Overzealous Prosecutor in Sexting Case

It's about time. The ACLU has sued a Pennsylvania prosecutor for threatening children with child pornography charges because they sent nude photos of themselves via cellphones.

The ACLU said Skumanick should not have threatened to file felony charges against the girls unless they agreed to be placed on probation and participate in a counseling program. The ages of the girls were not given. "Kids should be taught that sharing digitized images of themselves in embarrassing or compromised positions can have bad consequences, but prosecutors should not be using heavy artillery ...to teach them that lesson," said Witold Walczak, ACLU Pennsylvania legal director.

These prosecutors threaten children and their parents with harsh and permanent legal consequences, and people are so afraid that they don't fight back, often accepting lesser charges in order to avoid facing public humiliation. Child pornography laws were written to protect children, not punish them, and kudos to the ACLU for finally calling out these out-of-control politically-motivated prosecutors who only want to get their names in the paper.