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Mr. Felder, who is also a former federal prosecutor, said the criminal ban on adultery has no practical significance. “It’s a celebration of hypocrisy, with a n

by untog 11y ago

Mr. Felder, who is also a former federal prosecutor, said the criminal ban on adultery has no practical significance. “It’s a celebration of hypocrisy, with a nod of the head to religion over reality,” he said. http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/21/is-adultery-a-crime-in-new-york/ http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/21/is-adultery-a-c... I think it's fair to say that - within the US at least - laws against adultery are leftover relics from another time. Apparently there is still a $25 fine for flirting in public on the NY books. As the article states: About a dozen people have been charged with adultery since the early 1970s, most of them upstate. (Most of the charges were dismissed, or apparently were dropped after the defendants pleaded guilty to other charges.)

amyjess 11y ago
Adultery is very much illegal, and actively prosecuted, in the US military. According to news articles, their customer database included thousands of .mil email addresses. They didn't even make a token effort to deny access to email addresses belonging to a TLD whose controller criminalizes adultery.
skissane 11y ago
If a law is on the books, and has not been found unconstitutional, then it is sitting there waiting for a prosecutor to use it. In 2004, divorce attorney John R. Bushey Jr. was criminally prosecuted for adultery in Virginia. The prosecution dropped the charges after he agreed to do 20 hours of community service - I understand primarily because the ACLU wanted to pursue the constitutionality of the law, and the prosecution didn't want the risk and expense of that. No conviction was recorded, but I'm sure it was a stressful experience for him, and the prosecution probably thought the stress well-deserved. Why wouldn't they do the same in the future? No one knows whether laws against adultery are constitutional in the US. Some argue on the basis of Lawrence v. Texas they are not, but the US Supreme Court has never addressed that precise issue, and it could rule either way if it was ever presented with it.

by untog 11y ago

amyjess 11y ago

Adultery is very much illegal, and actively prosecuted, in the US military. According to news articles, their customer database included thousands of .mil email addresses. They didn't even make a token effort to deny access to email addresses belonging to a TLD whose controller criminalizes adultery.

skissane 11y ago

If a law is on the books, and has not been found unconstitutional, then it is sitting there waiting for a prosecutor to use it. In 2004, divorce attorney John R. Bushey Jr. was criminally prosecuted for adultery in Virginia. The prosecution dropped the charges after he agreed to do 20 hours of community service - I understand primarily because the ACLU wanted to pursue the constitutionality of the law, and the prosecution didn't want the risk and expense of that. No conviction was recorded, but I'm sure it was a stressful experience for him, and the prosecution probably thought the stress well-deserved. Why wouldn't they do the same in the future? No one knows whether laws against adultery are constitutional in the US. Some argue on the basis of Lawrence v. Texas they are not, but the US Supreme Court has never addressed that precise issue, and it could rule either way if it was ever presented with it.