The first case in which the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative filed an amicus brief was decided recently, with positive results. The Vermont Supreme Court upheld the state's "revenge porn" law, which Professor Mary Anne Franks helped draft, against a First Amendment challenge. The Court's opinion in Vermont v. VanBuren largely adopts the arguments Professor Franks and the CCRI made in the brief and cites extensively the Wake Forest Law Review piece Professor Franks co-authored with Professor Danielle Citron, “Criminalizing Revenge Porn.” The opinion also cites information and statistics provided by CCRI. A second case involving a First Amendment challenge to a "revenge porn" law that Professor Franks helped draft was also decided recently. In Wisconsin v. Culver, a state appeals court upheld Wisconsin's "revenge porn" statute against a First Amendment challenge. Read story here. Professor Franks teaches criminal law, criminal procedure, First Amendment law, family law, and Law, Policy, and Technology. She is also the President and Legislative & Tech Policy Director of the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative, a nonprofit organization dedicated to combating online abuse and discrimination.
Professor Mary Anne Franks Works with Cyber Civil Rights Initiative to File Amicus Brief; Push to Uphold Revenge Porn Laws in VT and WI
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL 33124
305-284-2211