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Roth v. United States (docket #:582) (1957)  [Findlaw]

Secondary Link Roth v. United States  [Legal Information Institute]
Argument Date 04/22/1957
Decided 6/24/1957
Supreme Court Vote 6-3
Note In Paris Adult Theatre I v. Slaton (1973), Justice Brennan declared: "I have concluded that the time has come to make a significant departure from [the Roth] approach."
Supreme Court Ruling First Amendment claim denied.
 
Issue"The dispositive question is whether obscenity is utterance within the area of protected speech and press."
 
Case Summary & Additional Resources
Majority Opinion Brennan, J.
Concurring Opinion Warren, C.J., & Harlan, J. concurring in the result in No. 61, and dissenting in No. 582.
Dissenting Opinion Douglas, J. (joined by Black, J.)
Lower Court 2nd Circuit
Lower Court Ruling First Amendment claim denied.
Oral Arguments Oral Arguments  [Oyez]
Lawyers
For Petitioner
David von G. Albrecht & O. John Rogge argued the cause for petitioner in No. 582.

Stanley Fleishman argued the cause for appellant in No. 61

For Respondent
Fred N. Whichello & Clarence A. Linn, Assistant Attorney General of California, argued the cause for appellee in No. 61.

For United States
Roger D. Fisher argued the cause for the United States in No. 582

Briefs
For Petitioner
Petitioner's cert. petition brief, pt. 1 [curiae.law. yale.edu]

Petitioner's cert. petition brief, pt. 1 [curiae.law. yale.edu]

Petitioner's main brief [curiae.law. yale.edu]

Petitioner's main reply brief [curiae.law. yale.edu]

Petitioner's Reply Brief [curiae.law. yale.edu]

For United States
Brief for United States (pt. 1) [curiae.law. yale.edu]

Brief for United States (pt. 2) [curiae.law. yale.edu]

U.S. Government, brief in opposition to cert. [curiae.law. yale.edu]

For Amicus
A. L. Wirin for the American Civil Liberties Union, Southern California Branch, as amicus curiae, in support of appellant in No. 61.

Abe Fortas, Charles A. Reich, William L. McGovern, Abe Krash and Maurice Rosenfield, for the Greenleaf Publishing Co. et al., [curiae.law. yale.edu]

Emanuel Redfield, for the American Civil Liberties Union [curiae.law. yale.edu]

Horace S. Manges & Jacob F. Raskin, Brief of American Book Publishers Council, Inc. [curiae.law.yale.edu]

Morris L. Ernst, Harriett F. Pilpel and Nancy F. Wechsler, for Ernst, Irwin Karp and Osmond K. Fraenkel, for the Authors League of America, Inc. [curiae.law. yale.edu]

Complete collection of briefs for Petitoners, Respondents & Amici [curiae.law.yale.edu]

Transcript of Record [curiae.law. yale.edu]

transcript of record [curiae.yale.edu]

News Stories & Commentary
"Bailed Denied to Roth; Dealer in Obscenity Appealing 5-Year Prison Sentence," New York Times, February 9, 1956, p. 26
"Book Publisher Indicted For Indecent Literature," Washington Post, July 21, 1955, p. 3
"Book Publisher Indicted For Indecent Literature," Washington Post, July 21, 1955, p. 3
"Dealer in Obscenity Gets a 5-Year Term," New York Times, February 5, 1956, p. 26
"Vice Probe Airs Publisher's Jail Record," Washington Post, June 1, 1955, p. 3
Editorial, "Obscenity in Court," Washington Post, June 30, 1957, sect. E, p. 4
Editorial, "Ruling on Obscenity; 'Punishment for Thought," June 30, 1957, p. 134
Houston, Luther, "Free Speech No Protection For Obscenity, Court Rules; Guard Case Remains Broad Language Cited; High Court Backs Ban on Obscenity; Savors of 'Book-Burning' Appeal Is Dismissed," New York Times, June 25, 1957, p. 1
Pussey, Merlo, "Not Since 1930s Has Court Made Such Impact; Court Had Embarrassing Choice," Washington Post, June 30, 1957, sect. E, p. 1
Schuchat, Theodor, "Clear-cut Test of Obscenity Laws Possible," Washington Post, April 21, 1957. sect. E, p. 3
Unna, Warren, "Supreme Court Airs Obscenity," Washington Post, April 23, 1957, sect. B, p. 10
Opinion - Lower Court
United States v. Roth (2nd Cir., 1956 (p. 40) [curiae.law. yale.edu]

Other
Barron, Jerome, & Dienes, C. Thomas, FIRST AMENDMENT LAW IN A NUTSHELL (3rd. Ed., 2004), pp. 98-110
Berns, Walter, "Pornography vs. Democracy: The Case for Censorship," 22 Public Interest 13 (1971)
Clark, Hunter, R., JUSTICE BRENNAN: THE GREAT CONCILIATOR (1995), pp. 182, 186, 189-193, 199, 204
Clor, Harry, OBSCENITY & PUBLIC MORALITY (1969)
de Grazia, Edward, GIRLS LEAN BACK EVERYWHERE: THE LAW OF OBSCENITY & THE ASSAULT ON GENIUS (1992), pp. 280-332
Dickson, Del, THE SUPREME COURT IN CONFERENCE (1940-1985): THE PRIVATE DISCUSSIONS BEHIND NEARLY 300 SUPREME COURT DECISIONS (2001), pp. 353-357
Emerson, Thomas, I., THE SYSTEM OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION (1970), pp. 470-474, 486, 513, 520
Ernst. Morris L. & Lindey, Alexander, THE CENSOR MARCHES ON (1940)
Finis, John, "Reason & Passion: The Constitutional Dialetic of Free Speech & Obscenity," 116 University of Pennsylvania Law Review 222 (1967)
Friedman, Leon, OBSCENITY: THE COMPLETE ORAL ARGUMENTS BEFORE THE SUPREME COURT IN THE MAJOR OBSCENITY CASES (1970), pp. 9-60
Greenawalt, Kent, SPEECH, CRIME, & THE USES OF LANGUAGE (1989), pp. 302-309
Kalven, Harry, "The Metaphysics of Obscenity," 1960 Supreme Court Review 1
Koppelman, Andrew, "Does Obscenity Cause Moral Harm?," 105 Columbia Law Review 1635 (2005)

Lockhart & McClure, "Censorship of Obscenity: The developing Constitutional Standards," 45 Minnesota Law Review 5 (1960)
Lowenthal, David, NO LIBERTY FOR LICENSE: THE FORGOTTEN LOGIC OF THE FIRST AMENDMENT (1997), pp. 97-99, 120, 127, 129, 137, 139, 141, 143, 145-149, 179, 281
Rembar, Charles, THE END OF OBSCENITY (1968), pp. 45-58
Saunders, Kevin, SAVING OUR CHILDREN FROM THE FIRST AMENDMENT (2003), pp. 124-128, 143-144, 153-155

Schwartz, Bernard, SUPER CHIEF: EARL WARREN & HIS SUPREME COURT -- A JUDICIAL BIOGRAPHY (1983), pp. 218-221, 436, 618, 622, 653, 708, 814, 824, 827
THE REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON OBSCENITY & PORNOGRAPHY (1970)
Yarbrough, Tinsley, JOHN MARSHALL HARLAN: GREAT DISSENTER OF THE WARREN COURT (1992), pp. 125, 127, 214-217, 285
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