I do hope the state courts overturn this verdict. (Link via the Volokh Conspiracy.)

An Oklahoma man arrested on suspicion of beating his wife faced year in prison and a fine. But when he spit in an arresting officer’s face, he got a life sentence instead, officials said Wednesday.



John Carl Marquez, 36, was convicted of “placing bodily fluid upon a government employee,” a felony that can carry a life sentence because of the possibility of transmitting a potentially deadly disease.



State judge April Sellers White sentenced Marquez this week even though Marquez and the officer tested negative for any communicable disease.