Paris Adult Theatre v. Slaton Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Paris Adult Theatre v. Slaton - Assignment Example To prove the seriousness of the matter, the complainant claimed that the films were contrary to section 26-2101 of the Georgia code, since their main themes were extremely immoral, and had negative impacts on the society and too openly addressed matters of sex (Cornell University Law School). The language of 26-2101 considered intentional distribution of obscene materials as a crime, and therefore provided criminal penalties to anyone found doing the same. However, these proceedings did not, in any way, base its arguments on that precedence. The state used a non-statutory civil proceeding to prove the materials as obscene and thereafter disapprove of their presentation to the public. The parties agreed that they would accept the court’s ruling, on the obscenity, as penultimate. However, the state did not say whether it would place a criminal action against the defendant if the obscenity of the films would be proven (Cornell University Law School). The hearing was set for January 13, 1971 by the trial court after receiving the complaints. As a result, the court ordered the defendants not to interfere with the films or even remove them from the jurisdiction. They were, however, not ordered to stop showing the films to the public. During the proceedings, the trial court watched the films and heard the testimonies from various witnesses. In addition, the court accepted photographs with outside look of the theatre. The witnesses confirmed that the theatre had the signs â€Å"Adults Only,† â€Å"You Must Be 21 and Able to Prove It,† and â€Å"If the Nude Body Offends You, Do Not Enter,† written on its exterior. The designs did not provide any further information on the contents of these films, and there were no pictures to entice the public to the films. No witness claimed to have seen any minor in the premise, even though there was no evidence that the