Public access cable show obscenity convictions upheld: Court: 'safe-sex' video not educational
Article Abstract:
The Texas Court of Appeals for the Third District ruled in Rees v. State that the state did not need to provide expert testimony to prove that a three-minute video on public access cable television was obscene. The men who produced the program called "Infosex" argued that the video was educational. They also argued that the state had to prove the entire two-hour program was obscene and must use expert testimony to do so. The appeals court ruled that the trial court's finding that the video was pornography lacking any social value was sufficient.
Publication Name: News Media & the Law
Subject: Literature/writing
ISSN: 0149-0737
Year: 1996
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Obscenity charges can be brought anywhere electronic files downloaded
Article Abstract:
In Jan 1996 the US Court of Appeals in Cincinnati upheld the convictions in federal District Court in Memphis of Robert and Carleen Thomas. The Thomases were tried on obscenity charges after a US postal inspector used an assumed name to open a computer account with the Thomases in Milpitas, California, where they computerized sexually explicit photographs for subscribers to download. The Court of Appeals ruled that local community standards still apply in such cases. The Thomases are appealing to the US Supreme Court.
Publication Name: News Media & the Law
Subject: Literature/writing
ISSN: 0149-0737
Year: 1996
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
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