Very early this year I was engaged by a State Public Defender in a child porn case. Although the Adam Walsh Act really applies to Federal cases it is trickling down to the state level. In a motion hearing attempting to get the forensic copy of the hard drive, the DA was adamant that I not have it, citing the Federal Act. I heard that the state AG distributed a memo that anytime a motion is made to get discovery of this contraband is made, if the court allows it the DA should immediately appeal it. Well the court decided that they would give me the hard drive copy but would not protect me from prosecution under the statute, which has no exemption for possession of this type of contraband. Under these circumstances I told the Public Defender attorney that I couldn’t take the case. I had been telling the SPD for over a year that they were going to have to be the ones to fight this state problem. Finally, they appear to be doing just that. The SPD attorney I declined to assist as an expert has had the case on appeal for almost 8 months now. Don’t know how this will turn out, but now I hear that at least 2 more SPD attorneys are going down the same road…I have a load of arguments for motions on this topic.