Author Topic: 17-year-old sexual assault victim could face charges for tweeting names  (Read 952 times)

MechAg94

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http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/savannah-dietrich-twitter-sexual-assault-louisville-174732753.html

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A Kentucky girl who was sexually assaulted could face contempt of court charges after she tweeted the names of her juvenile attackers.

Savannah Dietrich, the 17-year-old victim, was frustrated by a plea deal reached late last month by the two boys who assaulted her, and took to Twitter to expose them--violating a court order to keep their names confidential.

I thought I would put this before our resident legal experts (more expert than me at least). 

First, I assume the assailants were minors.  I do not know what sort of trouble she could get into for publishing the names of minor offenders even if she is a minor herself and the victim.  For stuff like this, making it completely public is the next best thing if we are not going to just shoot them.

Second, how common is it for a judge to put a gag order on a plea bargained case like this?  That seems unusual to me, but I don't keep up with such things.  It makes me curious as to any relationships between parties involved such as the judge and parents. 

Last, I don't know judges there are elected or not, but the judge will likely catch a lot of flak over this if she punishes the girl. 
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BryanP

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"Inaccurately attributed quotes are the bane of the internet" - Abraham Lincoln

MechAg94

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I guess that is a good thing.  I am still curious about the actual punishment. 

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Chris Klein, an attorney for one of the boys, said publicizing their names may create problems for them in the future.
This quote bugs me a bit.  It should create problems. 
“It is much more important to kill bad bills than to pass good ones.”  ― Calvin Coolidge

lupinus

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Chris Klein, an attorney for one of the boys, said publicizing their names may create problems for them in the future.
No, ahole, raping a 17 year old girl could create problems for them in the future.

Don't want to be labeled a rapist? Keep your dick in your pants unless invited to remove it.
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T.O.M.

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I can only speak for Ohio, but here delinquency case files are public records.  There are some rules about using initials instead of names for children/juveniles involved in cases, but they are generally ignored.  And, as far as gag orders go, one of teh few specific orders I have from my judge is to never issue a gag order on the parties to a case or on the press.  He's very much in favor of keeping things open to public inspection.  I very much agree.
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HankB

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From the story, the girl was careful not to tweet about the court proceedings, but about the crime itself.

Prohibiting her from tweeting about her 1st hand experience would seem to be a 1st Amendment violation.
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