United States obscenity law
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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US courts have ruled that the First Amendment protects "indecent" pornography from regulation, but not "obscene" pornography. People convicted of distributing obscene pornography face long prison terms and asset forfeiture.
The differentiation between indecent and obscene material, however, is a particularly difficult one, and a contentious First Amendment issue that has not fully been settled. Similarly, the level of offense (if any) generated by a profane word or phrase depends on region, context, and audience.
The first American moral crusader was Anthony Comstock, a postal inspector and iconic figure in the history of American censorship. He was dedicated to ideas of Victorian morality.
There have been two recent cases of obscenity trials in the American arts world: The Perfect Moment exhibition of Robert Mapplethorpe and the lesser known Mike Diana case.
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Late 19th and early 20th century
1930s
- The Production Code, voted in 1930, introduced in 1934.
1950s
- The Lady Chatterley's Lover case
1960s
- Redrup v. New York
- Parliament News
- Brandon House
- William Hamling (publisher)
- Attorney General's Commission on Pornography
- Earl Kemp
1970s
1990s
See also