In an effort to muzzle the First Amendment rights of citizens clean up a business in which mugshot websites charge money to remove the evidence of an unfortuante encounter with John Law, State Representative Roger Bruce (D) may introduce “Rashad’s Law.”

Commercial mugshot websites want her and others to pay them hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to take it down.

“It’s a racket and I just refuse to pay any of them,” said [a woman whose mugshot appears on a website despite charges being dropped].

“People are being extorted,” State Rep. Roger Bruce (D-Atlanta) told 11 Alive.

“I don’t think it’s right and that’s why I’m trying to do something about it,” he added.

After complaints from Andrade and more than 40 other constituents, Rep. Bruce plans to introduce a bill to regulate mugshots in Georgia.

It wouldn’t affect police agencies or the news media, but it would be aimed at commercial companies that charge to remove it from their websites or publications.

In addition to requiring free removal, his bill would also allow lawsuits for damages as well as require police agencies to copyright mugshots they take.

I wonder if this would have been an issue if it weren’t for Rashad Richey, Political Director of the Democratic Party of Georgia, whose background, reportedy including a stint in jail, became public after a blogger posted his mugshot.