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The Minnesota Supreme Court Chamber, located inside the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul. (Photo via Jonathunder/Wikipedia Commons)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (CN) Minnesota’s highest court unanimously upheld the state’s nonconsensual-porn statute Wednesday, bringing holiday cheer to privacy advocates and a year-end letdown to free-speech groups.
The court found that the statute, which has been embroiled in litigation since its passage in 2016, criminalizes constitutionally protected speech but is focused tightly enough on preventing the nonconsensual dissemination of explicit images to stand up to strict scrutiny.
“The constitutional right to free speech stands as a bedrock for our democracy,” Justice Natalie Hudson wrote in the 26-page opinion. “To protect this fundamental promise, we evaluate any encroachment on free speech with both caution and skepticism.”