United States v. Jonathan Sebert
Concurring Opinion
I join the Court's opinion in full. I write separately to observe that this Court's opinion in Mefford , which is the controlling precedent as to the special condition challenge, is suspect because it appears to have been based on the mistaken belief that the panel was bound by Ristine regarding the validity of the special condition concerning "erotica."
In
Mefford
, the Court reviewed a special condition relevantly containing provisions substantively identical to those challenged here prohibiting the supervised offender from entering any establishment where "erotica" can be obtained or viewed. The Court upheld the special condition, noting that its language was "virtually identical to wording we have previously upheld" in
Ristine
.
Mefford
,
First, the defendant in Ristine challenged only the portion of the special condition pertaining to pornographic materials. 335 F.3d at 694. The opinion clearly stated that "Ristine does not argue that the restrictions concerning 'erotica' are overbroad or vague." Id. at 694 n.2. Thus, the Court in Mefford was not bound by Ristine as to special condition language pertaining to erotica.
Second, the Court in Ristine was reviewing the special condition under a plain error standard of review. Id. at 695. The Ristine Court expressly stated that "[w]ere we reviewing this special condition for an abuse of discretion, we might be forced to select the line of reasoning we find more compelling, but the standard here is plain error." Id. (referencing a circuit split regarding whether certain pornography-related restrictions were unconstitutionally vague).
Here, the special condition's ban on viewing any form of "erotica" or entering any place where "erotica" can be obtained or viewed would appear to present the same constitutional and practical concerns as similar special conditions pertaining to "nudity" that were previously found invalid by this Court.
See
Mefford
,
Notably, the government devotes part of its argument here to what the district court
really meant
by the special condition rather than what the text of the condition says. The government also seems to struggle to present any direct defense of the challenged terminology, instead resorting to analogies and generalizations. Although use of the term "erotica" has been repeatedly upheld by this Court (relying on
Ristine
and
Mefford
), never has its definition been so much as discussed. This suggests clearer language may help all parties. This can be achieved by district courts more clearly defining what material or activity is prohibited, either by using the terminology approved by this Court in cases such as
United States v. Hobbs
,
While the controlling precedent appears to be on shaky ground, the district courts need not continue to add additional floors to this unstable foundation. The point is not to halt construction, but to fashion safeguards for children that are legally sound. In this regard it should be noted that even the holdings in
United States v. Kelly
,
Special conditions should fulfill statutory supervision goals, including protecting society and deterring criminal activity against children, without inadvertently and unnecessarily creating issues for appeal by using vague or overly broad terms.
Compare Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (10th ed. 2002) (defining erotica as "literary or artistic works having an erotic theme or quality" and erotic as "of, devoted to, or tending to arouse sexual love or desire") with Oxford English Dictionary (2018), http://www.oed.com (defining erotica as "[m]atters of love; erotic literature or art (frequently as a heading in catalogues)" and erotic as "[o]f or pertaining to the passion of love; concerned with or treating of love; amatory").
The concerns expressed as to the term "erotica" do not apply to the term "pornography." We have repeatedly affirmed special condition restrictions on pornography because we do not define it as broadly as other circuits. For example, we have positively cited the Third Circuit's conclusion that a ban on nudity is overbroad, but we also distinguished nudity from pornography, rejecting the Third Circuit's rationale that a prohibition of pornography is unconstitutional "because it 'might apply to a wide swath of work ranging from serious art to ubiquitous advertising' and 'to any art form that employs nudity.' "
United States v. Simons
,
Opinion of the Court
In August 2017, the district court
We review a sentence for substantive reasonableness in relation to the advisory sentencing range from the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Manual (the "Guidelines range") and the factors from
At sentencing, the district court carefully considered several factors when deciding to impose the statutory maximum sentence, as recommended by the Guidelines.
Sebert's challenge to a special condition of supervised release is foreclosed by our precedents. The special condition at issue states that Sebert "must not view, possess, produce, or use any form of erotica or pornographic materials, and the defendant must not enter any establishment where pornography or erotica can be obtained or viewed."
Sebert argues the term "erotica" is unconstitutionally vague and overbroad. We have previously held that a condition with the same key terms, prohibiting a defendant from "enter[ing] any location where pornography, erotica, or adult entertainment can be obtained or viewed,"
United States v. Mefford
,
We affirm.
The Honorable Linda R. Reade, United States District Judge for the Northern District of Iowa.
The prison term was the statutory maximum for a violation of
Reference
- Full Case Name
- UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee v. Jonathan SEBERT, Defendant-Appellant
- Cited By
- 5 cases
- Status
- Published