St. Thomas Law Review
First Page
517
Document Type
Article
Abstract
At any rate, if the First Amendment only protects expression that the majority believes will promote the right values, it does not protect very much. Sexually explicit materials arouse intense, deep-seated feelings, and from a moral point of view, the desire to stop their dissemination is understandable. But the censoring of morally bad ideas is glaringly incompatible with the most basic principles of First Amendment law. Nonetheless, for nearly two hundred years the censorship of morally offensive materials has been a part of our legal history, notwithstanding the absolute terms of the First Amendment.
Recommended Citation
H. Franklin Robbins Jr. & Steven G. Mason,
The Law of Obscenity - or Absurdity,
15
St. Thomas L. Rev.
517
(2003).
Available at:
https://scholarship.stu.edu/stlr/vol15/iss3/4