LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California appellate court has upheld the constitutionality of a law enacted to curtail reckless driving by paparazzi.
The law was used for the first time to prosecute a paparazzo accused of engaging in a high-speed chase of Justin Bieber on a Los Angeles highway in 2012. But a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled it was unconstitutional.
Wednesday’s ruling by the 2nd District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles states the law is not overbroad and does not violate the First Amendment as the lower court judge had ruled.
Unless the ruling is overturned, it will reinstate the case against Paul Raef, who was charged with reckless driving for the Bieber pursuit.
The 2010 law raises the penalty for those who drive dangerously in pursuit of photos for commercial gain, making it punishable by six months in jail.
