Indiana’s high court hears arguments on new revenge porn law

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indiana Supreme Court will decide if the state’s revenge porn law violates the U.S. Constitution.

The high court on Thursday morning heard arguments in the case.

The law makes it illegal to share what are called “intimate images” of someone without permission.

Steuben Circuit Magistrate Randy Coffey had earlier declared the 2019 law unconstitutional, saying it violated the right to free speech. Justices on Thursday asked why they should do the same.

Chief Justice Loretta Rush said during a hearing in a videoconference, “Every state that has looked at this has upheld their revenge porn statute, so the two cases the magistrate had looked at have both been overturned. There’s some things that are narrowly tailored about ours: What makes this so different that we should be the first state to find the revenge porn statue violates the First Amendment?

The justices did not indicate when they may issue a ruling. The Indiana Attorney General’s Office sought the appeal of the magistrate’s ruling.