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Liberta Revisited: A Call To Repeal The Marital Examption For All Sex Offenses In New York's Penal Law, Cassandra M. Delamothe

Fordham Urban Law Journal

This Note argues that to fully protect victims of spousal sexual assault, the New York Legislature should codify the Liberta decision and repeal the marital exemption for all sex offenses. It outlines the history of the marital rape exemption and its evolution in New York. It discusses the Liberta decision and the barriers to effective prosecution of marital rape, such as the legal standard for "force," prosecutorial discretion in charging husbands, and gender bias in the courts. It gives policy arguments for a statutory amendment and offers a proposed statute to replace the current sex offenses section of the Penal …