Directors

Patrick A. Trueman

Patrick Trueman is a former Chief of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Criminal Division, U. S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. from 1988 to 1993.  While there, he supervised the prosecution of child sex crimes, child pornography, and obscenity.  He managed an office of twenty of prosecutors and support staff, and worked with the nation’s ninety-three United States Attorneys to initiate and coordinate federal prosecutions.  As CEO of Morality In Media, Mr. Trueman directs the War on Illegal Pornography, a national coalition effort involving dozens of national, state and local groups that are educating the American public on the great harms of pornography and calling for vigorous enforcement of federal laws against illegal pornography.

During his 34 years as a lawyer, he has litigated cases at all levels of the federal system, including in the United States Supreme Court.  He has been an advisor to many municipalities on First Amendment law and has helped draft ordinances to end or curb the impact of sexually oriented businesses such as pornography shops, strip clubs, and related establishments.  In 2010 he founded the website, Pornography Harms, http://pornharms.com, dedicated to providing the most accurate peer-reviewed research on the harm from pornography.

A recognized international expert, Trueman has traveled to Europe, South American, the Middle East, and other areas to speak and train on the issue of human trafficking or deliver papers on the effects of television sex and violence on the family.  A sampling of his training, advocacy, legal briefs and presentations includes: Nicaragua:  Trueman led the training of Nicaragua’s state police in the recognition and apprehension of perpetrators of human trafficking. Qatar: Trueman authored and delivered, “The Harm from Sex and Violence on Television:  Practical Solutions to Protect Society,” to the Forum on the Cable Television Channels to the Moral Challenge for Gulf Youth sponsored by Her Highness, Sheikha Mozah, wife of the ruling leader of Qatar.  Romania: Trueman authored and submitted a legal brief to Romania’s Parliament in opposition to the legalization of prostitution and incest.  The paper, “Legalized Prostitution & Incest Will Harm Romania,” was used to successfully counter a policy recommendation by Romania’s Ministry of Justice (the equivalent of our US Department of Justice) that would have legalized incest and prostitution in the country.

Robert W. Peters

Robert Peters is president of Morality in Media, Inc., a nonprofit organization founded in New York City in 1962 to combat obscenity and uphold standards of decency in the media.

Mr. Peters has drafted state and local obscenity and related laws and testified before state and local legislative bodies. He has prepared official Comments to the FCC on the subjects of broadcast indecency and the TV ratings and testified at a public hearing of the FCC on the subject of TV violence. Mr. Peters has also authored amicus curiaebriefs for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court in support of federal Laws regulating indecent material on broadcast and cable TV and by means of telephone (“dial-a-porn”) and computer.

Mr. Peters has testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in support of the Pornography Victims Compensation Act, and in 1992 Congress enacted legislation, patterned in part after a proposal submitted by Mr. Peters, to address the problem of indecent programming on cable TV leased access channels. In June 1996, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the 1992 law. In 2003, the U.S. Senate enacted Senate Concurrent Resolution 77, which Mr. Peters proposed and drafted. Resolution 77 expresses the will of Congress that “the Federal obscenity laws should be vigorously enforced throughout the United States.”

Dawn Hawkins

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