The Majesty of the Wrong Law

Hourly rates! Dear gawd, this is confusing…

Virginia Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli has filed a petition with the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Richmond asking the full 15-judge court to reconsider a decision by a three-judge panel last month that overturned the state’s sodomy law.

Okay, not that part. Sounds like fun! The Cooch fights for your right to legally hate icky sex!

The three-judge panel ruled 2-1 on March 12 that a section of Virginia’s “Crimes Against Nature” statute that outlaws sodomy between consenting adults, gay or straight, is unconstitutional based on a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2003 known as Lawrence v. Texas.

Crimes against nature? Sounds like a great statute to prosecute oil companies!

But here’s the confusing part:

Caroline Gibson, a spokesperson for Cuccinelli, told the Blade in an email that Cuccinelli believes the dissenting judge on the three-judge panel was correct in stating the Lawrence decision applies only to sex between consenting adults in private and doesn’t apply to cases involving a minor. The case in which the three-judge panel of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the Virginia sodomy law involved a man charged with soliciting oral sex from a 17-year-old woman.

Wait, what?

Near as we can figure, here’s what happened: Somebody in the D.A.’s office was too clever by half and used Ye Olde Sodomie Law to prosecute a creep, when surely something more appropriate was available.

Unless it wasn’t. Unless, that is, Virginia doesn’t have a law forbidding transactional blowjobs with minors.

Now that would be news.

Cuccinelli challenges Va. sodomy ruling [Washington Blade, via Political Wire]

nojo
2:06 pm • Wednesday • April 3, 2013
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4 Comments

ManchuCandidate

3:23 pm • Wednesday • April 3, 2013

Virginia is for Creepy Lovers.

Mistress Cynica

4:20 pm • Wednesday • April 3, 2013

On the same topic: NC GOP reps file bill to make Christianity the official religion of the state. Because apparently they have tons of extra cash lying around to fight that loser up to SCOTUS.

Dodgerblue

4:56 pm • Wednesday • April 3, 2013

@Mistress Cynica: I don’t suppose the bill would require them to follow Jesus’ teachings.

IanJ

5:51 pm • Wednesday • April 3, 2013

@Dodgerblue: Nah, just the bits of the Old Testament they arbitrarily decide are cool.