State v. Samuels

Although I agree with the majority that the defendant, Ralston E. Samuels, was not denied his constitutional right to confrontation, I otherwise respectfully dissent from the majority opinion.

*697This case is not about a violent sexual assault. It is about a “consensual” sexual relationship between a thirteen year old girl and a twenty-four year old man. Such crimes are commonly referred to as statutory rape, a situation in which the minor consents to the sexual act, but the consent is ineffective due to the minor’s age and immaturity. See United National Ins. Co. v. Waterfront New York Realty…