Committee hears bills to protect jurors, adults at risk and prohibit nonconsensual deepfake explicit images

The Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety held a public hearing on three bills addressing jury intimidation, protections for adults at risk, and the creation and distribution of nonconsensual sexually explicit deepfake images.

Senate Bill 5 (juror threats): The sponsor described SB 5 as a measure to treat threats against jurors — and threats against a juror’s family — with the same felony-level penalties that currently apply to physical battery against jurors. The sponsor said the bill would allow judges to bar a person convicted of a crime from contacting a juror, similar to existing authority to bar contact with victims or witnesses. The sponsor and Representative Sartwell, who coauthored the measure, said jurors and their families should be protected from threats that could improperly influence verdicts. During committee questioning,…