421 U.S. 993 - Ridens Et Al. v. Illinois Et Al.

How this case has been cited

74 federal appellate · 1 district · 66 state decisions — followed in 11 states

Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

On petition for writ of certiorari to the Supreme Court of Illinois.

The petition for a writ of certiorari is denied.

Mr. Justice BRENNAN, with whom Mr. Justice STEWART and Mr. Justice MARSHALL join, dissenting.

¶1

Petitioners were convicted of selling allegedly obscene publications in violation of the Illinois Obscenity Statute, Ill.Rev.Stat.1969, c. 38, ¶11-20, and the obscenity ordinance of the city of Moline, Illinois. The Illinois Supreme Court affirmed their convictions. 51 Ill.2d 410, 282 N.E.2d 691 (1972). We granted the petition for certiorari and remanded the case for further consideration in light of Miller v. California, 413 U.S. 15, 93 S.Ct. 2607, 37 L.Ed.2d 419 (1973). 413 U.S. 912, 93 S.Ct. 3046, 37 L.Ed.2d 1030 (1973). On remand, the Illinois Supreme Court again affirmed the convictions.

¶2

For the reasons stated in my dissent from the remand of this case, 413 U.S. 912, 93 S.Ct. 3046, 37 L.Ed.2d 1030, and because the present judgment was rendered after Miller, I would grant the petition and reverse.*

¶3

Mr. Justice DOUGLAS, being of the view that any state or federal ban on, or regulation of, obscenity is prohibited by the Constitution, Roth v. United States, 354 U.S. 476, 508-514, 77 S.Ct. 1304, 1 L.Ed.2d 1498 (1957); Miller v. California, 413 U.S. 15, 42-47, 93 S.Ct. 2607, 37 L.Ed.2d 419 (1973); Paris Adult Theatre I v. Slaton, 413 U.S. 49, 70-73, 93 S.Ct. 2628, 37 L.Ed.2d 446 (1973), would grant certiorari and summarily reverse.

Although four of us would grant and reverse, the Justices who join this opinion do not insist that the case be decided on the merits.