Which case, decided in 1973, held that banning the showing of obscene films to consenting adults in a commercial theater did not violate the First Amendment or the right to privacy?

Which case, decided in 1973, held that banning the showing of obscene films to consenting adults in a commercial theater did not violate the First Amendment or the right to privacy?

• A. Cox Broadcasting Corp v. Colin (1975)
• B. Stanley v. Georgia (1969)
• C. Paris Adult Theatre I v. Slaton (1973)
• D. Furman v. Georgia (1972)

Answer: (C)

Obscenity isn’t protected by the First Amendment, and states may regulate the distribution and display of obscene material, even to adults. Paris Adult Theatre I v. Slaton, decided in 1973, upheld a Georgia ban on showing obscene films to consenting adults in a commercial theater, finding that this does not violate the First Amendment or the right to privacy. The ruling rests on the idea that the state has a legitimate interest in controlling public displays of obscenity, and the display in a theater is not protected as a matter of private, intimate behavior. Privacy claims like those in Stanley v. Georgia apply to private possession in the home, not to commercial public screenings, so that distinction supports upholding the ban.

Obscenity isn’t protected by the First Amendment, and states may regulate the distribution and display of obscene material, even to adults. Paris Adult Theatre I v. Slaton, decided in 1973, upheld a Georgia ban on showing obscene films to consenting adults in a commercial theater, finding that this does not violate the First Amendment or the right to privacy. The ruling rests on the idea that the state has a legitimate interest in controlling public displays of obscenity, and the display in a theater is not protected as a matter of private, intimate behavior. Privacy claims like those in Stanley v. Georgia apply to private possession in the home, not to commercial public screenings, so that distinction supports upholding the ban.