''Jenkins v. Georgia'', 418 U.S. 153 (1974), was a
United States Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...
case overturning a Georgia Supreme Court ruling regarding the depiction of sexual conduct in the film
''Carnal Knowledge''.
The changes in the morals of American society of the 1960s and 1970s and the general receptiveness to the public to frank discussion of sexual issues was sometimes at odds with local community standards. A theatre in
Albany, Georgia
Albany ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Located on the Flint River, it is the county seat of Dougherty County, Georgia, Dougherty County, and is the sole incorporated city in that county. Located in Southwest Geo ...
showed the film. On January 13, 1972, the local police served a search warrant on the theatre, and seized the film. In March 1972, the theatre manager, Mr. Jenkins, was convicted of the crime of "distributing obscene material". His conviction was upheld by the
Supreme Court of Georgia.
On June 24, 1974, the
U.S. Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...
ruled that the State of Georgia had gone too far in classifying material as obscene in view of the Court's prior
landmark
A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances.
In modern-day use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures ...
decision in ''
Miller v. California'', (the ''Miller'' standard), and overturned the conviction. The court said,
See also
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List of United States Supreme Court cases, volume 418
This is a list of all the United States Supreme Court cases from volume 418 of the ''United States Reports
The ''United States Reports'' () are the official record (law reports) of the Supreme Court of the United States. They include rulings, ...
External links
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{{US1stAmendment Freedom of Speech Clause Supreme Court case law, state=collapsed
United States Supreme Court cases
United States Supreme Court cases of the Burger Court
United States obscenity case law
1974 in United States case law
Legal history of Georgia (U.S. state)
Works subject to a lawsuit