The age of consent varies between states and countries. The laws in different areas range as low as 13 years to 20 years old. The laws are almost always affected by a nation's culture. Nations with Islamic law tend to have lower ages. European countries generally range from 14 years to 16 years. In the United States, the age varies from 16 to 18. In many areas, there is a "close-in-age" part of the laws. This allows for people under of consent but above a certain age to have sex with people as long as there older partner is either less than a certain age or the difference in age is a certain number of years. The age of consent may also vary if one of the people is in a position of authority over the other. For example, if the older person was a teacher of the victim, the age may be higher than for other people, an example of this is Indiana where the age where a person can have sex is 16 except if the older partner is a teacher at the victim's high school, in which case the age limit is 18. If the two people are married, the age is often lower. Age of consent can also be affected by the type of sex or the sex of the person. Many areas have different ages for homosexual sex as well as anal sex. There are areas which also have different ages depending on if the person is male or female.
If a person is caught having sex, or any other sexual act, with someone who is below the age of consent, the person may be punished as a sex offender. The violator may be sent to prison, or jail, or fined. In Wisconsin having sex with a person beneath 16, a felony (serious crime), carries prison time, but having sex with a minor who is 16 or over but under 18, which is a misdemeanor (a non-serious crime), carries jail time and a fine. An example of punishing age of consent violations occurred in 2011, an American swimming teacher was sent to prison for 16 months for having sex with a 15-year-old student. The law usually applies to both males and females having sex with a minor.
Andy Richter
Paul Andrew "Andy" Richter (born October 28, 1966) is an American comedian and actor. He is best known for his former role as Conan O'Brien's sidekick on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien". Richter was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is the second of four children. He was raised in Yorkville, Illinois. While attending Columbia College, Chicago, he played in several Chicago comedy groups, including the Annoyance Theatre, before getting on Late Night.
Richter left Late Night in 2000. He said he wanted to focus on an acting career. His first major work was FOX's critically acclaimed but little watched "Andy Richter Controls the Universe". It was cancelled after two short runs. His next FOX sitcom, "Quintuplets", was not liked by the critics. It lasted only one season. He is married to actress Sarah Thyre. They have two children.
In addition to his television work, Richter has appeared in movies such as "Seeing Other People", Olsen Twins' "New York Minute", "Madagascar", and "Cabin Boy".
Jennifer Granholm
Jennifer Granholm (born February 5, 1959) is a Canadian born American politician. Granholm is the 16th United States Secretary of Energy since 2021 under the Joe Biden administration. She was the Governor of Michigan from 2003 to 2011. Granholm was born in Canada and raised in California. She ran for governor of Michigan in 2002, even though she had lived in the state for less than 15 years.
On December 15, 2020, President-elect Joe Biden nominated Granholm to be Secretary of Energy. Her nomination was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 25, 2021 with a 64-35 vote.
Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor (born March 26, 1930) is a retired justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. She was the first woman to serve as justice on the Supreme Court, as well as the first from Arizona.
One of her ideas on the Supreme Court was the endorsement test. It was a way to check if the government was supporting religion.
O'Connor was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1981 by President Ronald Reagan. Reagan said while running for president that he wanted a woman to be on the supreme court and promised to nominate a woman for the job the first chance he got. One of her biggest supporters was Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater, who helped make sure that all 100 Senators voted to confirm her. While on the Supreme Court, she was involved in several major supreme court decisions including: Bush v. Gore, which had to do with a disputed election; Planned Parenthood v. Casey which involved a woman's right to privacy. She was also involved in Lawrence v. Texas, a case about whether burning a US flag was free speech. She retired from the court in 2006. Sam Alito was chosen to replace her. On August 12, 2009, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This is the highest civilian honor of the United States. It was given by President Barack Obama.
In October 2018, O’Connor announced her effective retirement from public life after disclosing that she was diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.
She has a school named after her in North Phoenix, Arizona.
John Paul Stevens
John Paul Stevens (April 20, 1920 – July 16, 2019) was an American lawyer. He was a United States Supreme Court justice. He was nominated by President Gerald Ford in 1975. He voted with minority in Bush v. Gore case (2000). He also voted with majority in Furman v. Georgia case (1976), but later became against the death penalty. In 2010, he announced his retirement in the Supreme Court.
Stevens died on July 16, 2019 from problems caused by a stroke while under hospice care in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at the age of 99.
Antonin Scalia
Antonin Gregory Scalia (March 11, 1936 – February 13, 2016) was a Conservative jurist on the Supreme Court of the United States. He was an Associate Justice. Scalia was put on the Court in 1986 by Ronald Reagan and was the longest-serving justice on the Court. Before becoming a justice, he was on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and was a law professor. He was a Roman Catholic born to Italian American parents. He was the first Italian-American on the Court.
Scalia was born in Trenton, New Jersey, but grew up in Queens, New York. Scalia went to Georgetown University, the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, and Harvard Law School. He began his career in Cleveland, Ohio and traveled to Chicago, Illinois during his early life.
Scalia was noted for holding a conservative approach to the law. He also believed in originalism. This means he wanted the Constitution interpreted exactly as its framers had wanted it. Scalia and fellow judge Clarence Thomas often had the same viewpoints. He was friends with justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Scalia died in his sleep on February 13, 2016 at a ranch in Shafter, Texas at the age of 79. His death left a split in the court with 4 conservatives and 4 liberals. President Barack Obama said he would choose Scalia's successor in "due time". President Obama, former Governor of Texas Rick Perry, Governor of Ohio John Kasich, former Presidents George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, Senators Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and Bernie Sanders, and Vice president Joe Biden all reacted to his death.
On March 16, 2016, President Obama nominated Merrick Garland to replace Scalia. After Republicans refused to give Garland a confirmation hearing, his nomination expired in January 2017. On January 31, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch to replace Scalia. Gorsuch was sworn into office on Monday, April 10, 2017, in two ceremonies.
In November 2018, Scalia received a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Donald Trump.
Anthony Kennedy
Anthony McLeod Kennedy (born July 23, 1936) is a former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President Ronald Reagan on November 11, 1987, and took the oath of office on February 18, 1988, serving until July 31, 2018.