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Jenkins v. Georgia, 418 U.S. 153, 94 S.Ct. 2750, 41 L.Ed.2d 642, 1 Media L. Rep. 1504

Facts

The appellant was convicted in March 1972 for showing the film 'Carnal Knowledge' in a motion picture theater in Albany, Georgia. Local law enforcement officers seized the film during its exhibition, leading to charges of distributing obscene material. The jury was instructed on obscenity according to Georgia's statute, which defined obscene material similarly to the definition in Memoirs v. Massachusetts. The Georgia Supreme Court affirmed the conviction, stating that the definition of obscenity was more restrictive than the new test set forth in Miller v. California.

Appellant was convicted in Georgia of the crime of distributing obscene material. His conviction, in March 1972, was for showing the film ‘Carnal Knowledge’ in a movie theater in Albany, Georgia.

Issue

Whether the film 'Carnal Knowledge' was obscene under the constitutional standards established in Miller v. California, and whether the appellant's conviction for distributing obscene material violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments.

Whether the film 'Carnal Knowledge' was obscene under the constitutional standards established in Miller v. California, and whether the appellant's conviction for distributing obscene material violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments.

Rule

The Court applied the standards from Miller v. California, which require that for material to be considered obscene, it must appeal to the prurient interest, depict sexual conduct in a patently offensive way, and lack serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.

The Court applied the standards from Miller v. California, which require that for material to be considered obscene, it must appeal to the prurient interest, depict sexual conduct in a patently offensive way, and lack serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.

Analysis

The Court reviewed the film 'Carnal Knowledge' and determined that it did not depict sexual conduct in a patently offensive manner as defined by Miller. The film did not focus on the bodies of the actors during sexual scenes, nor did it exhibit their genitals. While there were scenes of nudity, the Court concluded that nudity alone does not render material obscene under the Miller standards. Therefore, the jury's finding of obscenity was not supported by the constitutional criteria.

The Court reviewed the film 'Carnal Knowledge' and determined that it did not depict sexual conduct in a patently offensive manner as defined by Miller.

Conclusion

The U.S. Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the Supreme Court of Georgia, holding that the film 'Carnal Knowledge' was not obscene and that the appellant's conviction violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments.

The U.S. Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the Supreme Court of Georgia, holding that the film 'Carnal Knowledge' was not obscene and that the appellant's conviction violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments.

Who won?

The appellant prevailed in the case because the U.S. Supreme Court found that the film was not obscene under constitutional standards, thus reversing the conviction.

The appellant prevailed in the case because the U.S. Supreme Court found that the film was not obscene under constitutional standards, thus reversing the conviction.

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