United States v. James

53 M.J. 612, 2000 CCA LEXIS 137, 2000 WL 703496
CourtNavy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals
DecidedMay 11, 2000
DocketNMCM 99 00435
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 53 M.J. 612 (United States v. James) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. James, 53 M.J. 612, 2000 CCA LEXIS 137, 2000 WL 703496 (N.M. 2000).

Opinion

TROIDL, Senior Judge:

A military judge sitting as a special court-martial convicted the appellant, pursuant to his pleas, of possessing child pornography and two specifications of transporting child pornography in interstate commerce in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252A (as assimilated), under Article 134, Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 U.S.C. § 934. The adjudged sentence includes a bad-conduct discharge, 150 days confinement, and reduction to pay grade E-l. The convening authority approved the sentence as adjudged.

We have carefully reviewed the record of trial, the appellant’s single assignment of error, and the Government’s response. We conclude that the‘findings and sentence are correct in law and fact and that no error materially prejudicial to the substantial rights of the appellant was committed. Arts. 59(a) and 66(c), UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. §§ 859(a) and 866(c).

Background

In 1998, the appellant was a “geographic bachelor” assigned to the USS FRANK CABLE (AS 40), which was home ported in the Territory of Guam. He resided in Government quarters with an acquaintance to whom the quarters were assigned. That same acquaintance owned a personal computer and paid for monthly access to the Internet through a commercial provider of Internet services. The appellant was authorized to use both the computer and his acquaintance’s Internet access account.

During February to April 1998, the appellant used the computer to gain access to a service which allowed him to download various pictures in return for his uploading other pictures to the service. Although unable to view the pictures he wished to download in advance, he intentionally picked sites that advertised “pre-teen pies” and downloaded three or more computer files containing pictures of minors engaged in explicit sexual activity. After downloading the pictures, the appellant viewed and saved them on the computer.

[613]*613On 22 April 1998,, the appellant knowingly-accessed a chat room where the advertised topic of discussion was “Dad and daughter sex.” While in the chat room, he entered into a discussion with an individual whose screen name was Fast Girl. In reality, Fast Girl was a male agent of the U.S. Customs Service. During the course of their chat, at Fast Girl’s request, the appellant uploaded a picture of a child he believed to be a minor engaged in sexually explicit activity, which picture was received by Fast Girl in the continental United States. Two days later, during another chat with Fast Girl, the appellant uploaded an additional 15 pictures containing children he believed to be minors engaged in sexually explicit activity, which pictures were also received by Fast Girl in the continental United States.

Yague and Overbroad

Based upon these facts, the appellant pled guilty to possessing child pornography and two specifications of transporting child pornography in interstate commerce in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252A.1 Although he did not contest the constitutionality of this statute at trial, he does so before this court, contending that the statute is vague and overbroad both facially and as applied in his case. Appellant’s Brief of 24 January 2000 at 2. In support of his position, he cites Free Speech Coalition v. Reno, 198 F.3d 1083 (9th Cir. 1999), which found two phrases in the definition of child pornography, as contained in 18 U.S.C. § 2256,2 both overbroad and vague, but otherwise upheld the constitutionality of 18 U.S.C. § 2252A.3

The Supreme Court has long recognized that Governments are “entitled to greater leeway in the regulation of pornographic depictions of children” than in the regulation of other forms of pornography. New York v. Ferber, 458 U.S. 747, 756, 102 S.Ct. 3348, 73 L.Ed.2d 1113 (1982). “There are, of course, limits on the category of child pornography which, like obscenity, is unprotected by the First Amendment. As with all legislation in this sensitive area, the conduct to be prohibited must be adequately defined by the applicable state law, as written or authoritatively construed. . . . The category of ‘sexual conduct’ proscribed must also be suitably limited and described.” Ferber, 458 U.S. at 764, 102 S.Ct. 3348.

The statute upon which the appellant was convicted has withstood constitutional attacks asserting that it is overbroad and vague in both United States v. Hilton, 167 F.3d 61 (1st Cir.1999) and United States v. Acheson, 195 F.3d 645 (11th Cir.1999). As to over-breadth, both courts concluded that any material that could qualify for heightened protection under the First Amendment, such as material that has artistic or scientific value but fell within the purview of the statute, could warrant reversal of a conviction but not invalidation of the statute. Hilton, 167 F.3d at 74; Acheson, 195 F.3d at 652. Both courts found that the statute was not constitutionally vague, noting that the statute’s affirmative defenses and scienter requirement put the reasonable person on notice of what conduct is prohibited and provide adequate protection against arbitrary enforcement. Hilton, 167 F.3d at 75-77; Acheson, 195 F.3d at 652-53. Additionally, as noted above, with the exception of two phrases in the definition of child pornography, as contained in 18 U.S.C. § 2256, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has also upheld the constitutionality of 18 U.S.C. § 2252A.

Finding the reasoning of the First and Eleventh Circuit Courts of Appeal persuasive, we, too, find that 18 U.S.C. § 2252A is neither facially overbroad nor vague. Additionally, under the facts of this case in which the appellant freely admitted during the providence inquiry his belief that at least one of the persons in each of the photographs he possessed or transported was a minor [614]*614(Record at 29, 34, 37, 39),4 we find that the statute was not overbroad as applied to him. Even if we were to accept the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Free Speech Coalition and conclude that two phrases in the definition of child pornography are over-broad and vague on their face, we find that the excepted language has no bearing on the appellant’s case given his admissions during the providence inquiry.

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Related

United States v. James
55 M.J. 297 (Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, 2001)
United States v. Fiscus
193 F. Supp. 2d 1233 (D. Utah, 2001)
United States v. Coleman
54 M.J. 869 (Army Court of Criminal Appeals, 2001)

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Bluebook (online)
53 M.J. 612, 2000 CCA LEXIS 137, 2000 WL 703496, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-james-nmcca-2000.