United States v. Watzman
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
486 F.3d 1004 (2007)
- Written by Liz Nakamura, JD
Facts
Marc Watzman (plaintiff), a 37-year-old Chicago resident and pediatrician, paid multiple foreign websites in order to access and download child-pornography images and videos. Federal agents discovered Watzman’s conduct by seizing customer records from one of the foreign child-pornography websites Watzman frequented. Federal agents searched Watzman’s apartment pursuant to a search warrant and found thousands of digital child-pornography images. The federal government (defendant) charged and convicted Watzman on one count of possessing child pornography and on nine counts of receiving child pornography. Watzman appealed, arguing that (1) the federal government could not charge him with receipt of child pornography without proving Watzman intended to traffic in child pornography; and (2) the receipt-of-child-pornography statute was unconstitutionally vague because there was no meaningful distinction between the receipt-of-child-pornography statute and the possession-of-child-pornography statute, potentially allowing for arbitrary enforcement.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Sykes, J.)
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