December 9, 2019
National Catholic Register: Congressmen Tell Attorney General Barr: Prosecute Pornographers for Obscenity
Rep. Banks, who led the letters signatories, said in a statement that the internet and other technologies have brought about convenience, but that has a "dark side" to it.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Four members of Congress have requested that the Department of Justice (DOJ) use obscenity laws already on the statute book to prosecute major pornography producers and distributors.
In a letter to the DOJ provided to National Review, Reps. Jim Banks, R-Ind., Vicky Hartzler, R-Mo., Mark Meadows, R-N.C., and Brian Babin, R-Tex. all warned of an "explosion in pornography" that is fueling violence against women, human trafficking, and child pornography.
The members asked Attorney General William Barr to bring back the Obscenity Prosecution Task Force in the DOJ's Criminal Justice Division. The task force, founded in 2005 under the George W. Bush administration, was responsible for investigating and prosecuting producers of hard core pornography under obscenity laws. The task force was dissolved by Eric Holder, Attorney General under President Barack Obama, in 2011...
Pornography has been declared a "public health crisis" by 15 state legislatures. President Trump, as a 2016 presidential candidate, signed the Children's Internet Safety Presidential Pledge to prioritize enforcement of obscenity and anti-child pornography laws.