Obscenity

First Amendment Alert! Author arrested for writing a book

Submitted by on

I'm the first to admit that Phillip Greaves is not the most sympathetic figure in America. Greaves wrote "The Pedophile's Guide," which was originally for sale on Amazon.com before the online retailer bowed to public pressure and pulled the book from its online shelves.

I don't necessarily have a problem with that.

But, I have a big problem with today's developments. The Orlando Sentinel reports that Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd had Mr. Greaves arrested in Pueblo, Colorado on obscenity charges.

Lets remember that Grady Judd's jurisdiction is home to meth labs, cops who diddle children, and a pretty high incest rate.

Despite the "real crime" in his jurisdiction, Judd instructed his detectives to request an autographed copy of the book. Mr. Greaves obliged and Judd used that as his justification for having Greaves indicted on obscenity charges in his little caliphate of inbred-methistan.

Greaves told ABC News last month he wasn't trying to promote pedophilia and was not himself a pedophile: "I'm not saying I want them around children, I'm saying if they're there, that's how I want them to [behave]." (source)

Jurisdiction: 

Content Type: 

Subject Area: 

Won't Someone Think of the Children! Massachusetts' Unconstitutional Attempt to Break the Internet

Submitted by on

It is a good thing to want to protect children from the vulgarity of the world. Accordingly, states have adopted prohibitions on exhibiting or selling harmful material to minors. These laws make sense, in that we usually don’t want sex shops selling pornography to kids. But occasionally the legislature goes a bit insane and decides that, in order to fully protect the children, we need to criminalize or block off whole sections of the Internet.

Jurisdiction: 

Subject Area: 

Calling Out Former Porn Stars? Beware of '2257 Regs'

Submitted by on

Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton made a career for himself by taking shots at the Hollywood elite and celebs du jour.

Subject Area: 

Indian Court Rules Against Blanket Prohibition on Sexually Themed Websites

Submitted by on

An Indian NGO filed a petition before the Bombay High Court seeking a blanket prohibition on websites that display any "material pertaining to sex." The justification for the proposed ban was that this material "is harmful to the youth of this country in their formative years." (Op. at 1).

Jurisdiction: 

Subject Area: 

"I Know It When I See It." The View from Where?

Submitted by on

Jeffrey A. Kilbride and James Robert Schaffer are spammers.  They sent millions of unsolicited e-mails advertising pornographic web sites, and were paid a fee whenever a recipient of their e-mails purchased a subscription to one of the sites, earning a total of $1.1 million.

Jurisdiction: 

Subject Area: 

News Flash: Watching the Erin Andrews Video Is Perverted, Not Illegal

Submitted by on

CBS News is reporting that downloading or watching the peephole video of ESPN reporter Erin Andrews walking around naked in a hotel room is a crime:

Content Type: 

Subject Area: 

South Carolina Attorney General Agrees to Temporary Restraining Order in Craigslist Suit

Submitted by on

Today, a federal district court in South Carolina issued a consent order temporarily restraining South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster from "initiating or pursuing any prosecution against craigslist or its officers and employees in relation to content posted by third parties on craigslist's website." The order specifies that it is issued "by agreement of the parties.&qu

Jurisdiction: 

Subject Area: 

Craigslist Sues South Carolina AG Over Threats of Criminal Prosecution

Submitted by on

Tired of being bullied by South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster, craigslist is going on the offensive.  CEO Jim Buckmaster announced on the craigslist blog today that that craigslist is suing McMaster in South Carolina federal court, seeking "declaratory relief and a restraining order with respect to criminal charges he has repeatedly thre

Jurisdiction: 

Subject Area: 

South Carolina Attorney General Threatens Craigslist With Criminal Prosecution Over User Content

Submitted by on

A new sortie in the battle over craigslist's "erotic services" section came today when South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster sent a letter to craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster threatening company management with "criminal investigation and pros

Jurisdiction: 

Subject Area: 

You Aren't as Free as You Think - Your Private Emails Can Land You in Jail

Submitted by on

In the latest case involving the absurd and unconstitutional obscenity statutes, the Fourth Circuit has upheld a conviction of a man for mere private possession of allegedly obscene material. See United States v. Whorley, __F.3d__ (4th Cir. 2008). While the facts may not fit any conduct in which you might engage, the logic could very well ensnare you one day.

Read on. You should be outraged.

Introduction

Jurisdiction: 

Content Type: 

Subject Area: 

Subscribe to Obscenity