disclosure would violate a reasonable expectation of privacy.” VanBuren, 2018
VT 95, ¶ 60.
¶ 131
Here, however, section 11-23.5 is not narrowly tailored, and its broad reach
could include a wide swath of conduct, including innocent conduct. Unlike the
Vermont statute’s requirement that the defendant intend “to harm, harass,
intimidate, threaten, or coerce the person depicted,” section 11-23.5 offers no such
“rigorous intent element.” See 720 ILCS 5/11-23.5(b) (West 2016). Instead, simply
viewing an image sent in a text message and showing it to the person next to you
could result in felony charges. Because of the specific intent element, the majority
in VanBuren stated “[i]ndividuals are highly unlikely to accidentally violate this
statute while engaging in otherwise permitted speech.” VanBuren, 2018 VT 95,
¶ 62. The same cannot be said of individuals in Illinois under this statute.
¶ 132
The majority contends that “although a malicious purpose is not expressly
mandated, the breadth of section 11-23.5(b) is effectively limited by the five
elements and conditions that define the prohibited conduct.” Supra ¶ 105. I
disagree. The elements and conditions do not limit the breadth of the statute at all
but instead reach an expansive amount of conduct. Unlike those states that
specifically require an intent to harm, harass, intimidate, threaten, coerce,
embarrass, frighten, terrify, torment, terrorize, degrade, demean, annoy, alarm, or
abuse the victim, the Illinois statute requires nothing of the sort. Although the
majority finds the statute “implicitly includes an illicit motive or malicious
purpose” (supra ¶ 106), the absence of any such nefarious intentions proscribed by
other states opens the door wide for innocent conduct to be criminalized. The
legislature’s failure to include any one of the above stated terms belies the
majority’s claims that “the inclusion of an explicit motive to cause harm would not
appreciably narrow its scope.” Supra ¶ 106.
¶ 133
The Vermont statute also limited a violation to when the disclosure would cause
a reasonable person to suffer harm, and it defines “harm” as “physical injury,
financial injury, or serious emotional distress.” Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 13, § 2606(a)(2)
(2015). Under the Illinois law, there is no objective or subjective harm requirement.
Cf. Cal. Penal Code § 647(j)(4)(A) (West 2019) (requiring the victim to suffer
“serious emotional distress”); Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-189c(a) (2015) (requiring the
victim to suffer harm as a result of the dissemination); N.D. Cent. Code § 12.1-17-
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