In 2003, Justice Scalia wrote a dissent in Lawrence v. Texas where he predicted that the decision would be used to strike down state laws against (amongst other things) bestiality. Recently, a helpful reader directed us to a new Kansas Appellate decision assuaging Scalia's fears by upholding a state law criminalizing bestiality in State v. Coman, 214 P.3d 1198 (Kan. App. 2009). In Coman, the defendant appealed his conviction for having sex with his girlfriend's Rottweiler, arguing that (1) the criminal sodomy statute is unconstitutional and (2) he should not be required to register as a sex offender. The opinion is available here. New York Law School Professor Arthur S. Leonard has more coverage of this story over at his blog. From the opinion:
Joshua B. Coman appeals his conviction for criminal sodomy under K.S.A. 21-3505(a)(1) and the district court's order that he register as a sex offender, arguing that his conviction does not require registration under the Kansas Offender Registration Act (KORA) and that K.S.A. 21-3505(a)(1) is unconstitutional in criminalizing sex between a human and an animal. We reject Coman's arguments and affirm his conviction and registration order.
Upon entering her garage to access the freezer, the complaining witness reported seeing her ex-boyfriend Coman lying on the floor of the garage with his pants and underwear down around his ankles, his shirt pulled up, and her female Rottweiler lying beside him. When she turned on the light, Coman moved his hips away from the dog and quickly pulled his pants up. Coman then said he loved the dog, Yodi, and he told the witness, “I don't expect you to understand, but I had to see her one more time.”
When police arrived, a pat-down revealed Coman's penis remained erect and he had a bottle of personal lubricant in his left front pocket. Coman denied having intercourse with the dog, but he admitted that he tongue-kissed her and digitally penetrated her. A search of Coman's cell phone revealed several photos of dogs and one video clip of a man engaging in sexual intercourse with a canine.
Coman was charged with one count of criminal sodomy under K.S.A. 21-3505(a)(1), with sexual motivation requiring registration under K.S.A. 22-4902(c)(14). He pled guilty to this offense and was sentenced to 6 months in the county jail, to run consecutive to a Reno County sentence for similar conduct. He was also ordered to receive psychiatric treatment and to register as a sex offender under KORA.
Of course, a cynic might think that Justice Scalia never actually feared that bestiality laws were in jeopardy after the opinion in Lawrence was issued. And others of us are still wondering what laws against masturbation to which Justice Scalia was referring.
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