Child Pornography Law

Child pornography in America is a very serious problem, and ever since 2002 Congress and the Bush Administration has been trying to pass more stringent laws against child pornographers. However, these proposed laws have come under strict scrutiny by the courts. The original provision of the law was struck down in 2002 by the Supreme Court, because it was said to be to vague, and to encompassing. The courts feared that if they had not struck down the law then certain parts of the law could be used to infringe on citizens right to free speech. In 2003 Congress adopted new legislation hoping it would be more suitable to the courts, however a Court of Appeals did not believe the new legislation was sufficiently protecting citizens free speech, and they deemed then new law unconstitutional.

With the use of the Internet becoming more and more widespread, there is a greater market for child pornography, and with computers becoming faster and faster and easier to use the market will continue to grow, unless there is legislation to counteract the problem. Although the Internet is making it easier to market and promote child pornography it is also putting those people who are violating society right there in the open, and ready to be caught. This new law will hopefully be accepted by the Supreme Court, and then the Federal government will have the tools necessary to go out on the Internet and start fighting back against these sex offenders.

Online Gambling

Recently a European Union court ruled against Italy in a case where Italian officials were trying to ban foreign online gambling sites from doing business with Italian citizens. Italy had successfully prosecuted three officials of a online gambling establishment in the UK. However, the European Union court ruled that those individuals had been unduly prosecuted, because if Italy could ban outside companies from doing business with Italian citizens then they would be violating the Union's freedom of establishment and freedom to provide services laws.

This ruling sounds like pretty bad news for the morally responsible couturiers of the European Union, because the court is saying that even if one country such as Italy wants to try to keeps its citizens safe from the perils of gambling there government can be undermined by other not so responsible countries. However, in their ruling the court did say that since the nature of gambling is such a morally reprehensible and financially bad thing that countries could ban that type of competition, as long as they had a sound enough case, and in the courts eyes the case the Italian's made was not strong enough for such regulations.

The American government also struggles with trying to control online gambling. Although establisments that claim home in the United States are illegal most of the popular online gambling sites in America claim their home to be in the Caribiian or overseas. Although the American government would have an easier time banning online gambling then the Italian officals, because America operates as an Idividual where as Italy is of course a member of the Europan Union.