Tonight in NYC, see Charles Brownstein, Executive Director of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund present “The Trial of Zap Comix: Comics, Counterculture & Obscenity in NYC” at the NY Comics & Picture Story Symposium. This presentation explores People v. Kirkpatrick a…
Category: Legal
Defending Manga: The Ryan Matheson Story
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is proud to release Defending Manga: The Ryan Matheson Story, a short documentary video recounting the young American citzen’s fight for justice after being wrongfully accused of criminal activity because of fantasy and humor…
Obscenity Case Files: Pope v. Illinois
Miller v. California set the standard for identifying obscene material that is not protected by the First Amendment. However, some portions of the standards set by Miller are clearer than others. In this edition of the Obscenity Case Files, we’ll…
Ninth Circuit Limits Search of Electronic Devices at U.S. Borders
Due to concerns over national security, government agents at the United States border have traditionally had greater leeway in regards to an individual’s Fourth Amendment rights, but recently there have been growing concerns that such leeway has been stretched to…
Court Upholds Law that Led to Tucson Book Ban
The Huffington Post reports that a federal court judge has upheld most of the provisions Arizona’s HB 2281, “a law banning courses that promote the overthrow of the U.S. government, foster racial resentment, are designed for students of a particular…
Federal Judge Rules That Missouri Library Cannot Block Pagan Websites
Early last year, the ACLU of Eastern Missouri filed a lawsuit charging the Salem Public Library with unconstitutional censorship for blocking internet access to information about minority religions in a case that called on the protections afforded to both religion…
Obscenity Case Files: The Miracle Decision
Before 1952, movies were not provided and protection from censorship under the Constitution. Things changed in 1952 thanks to Roberto Rossellini, Federico Fellini, and an amorous interlude between a wanderer named Saint Joseph and a disturbed peasant who believes herself…
Georgia Bill Possible Threat to Parody, Protected Speech
For the second year in a row, there is a bill in the Georgia legislature that proposes to outlaw using Photoshop or other digital imaging software to make someone appear to be nude or engaged in sexual activity. The Democratic-sponsored…
Congressional Task Force Recommends More Research on Media and Violence
Yesterday, Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA) released “A Comprehensive Plan That Reduces Gun Violence and Respects the 2nd Amendment Rights of Law-Abiding Americans,” which describes the recommendations of the Congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. Nearly all of the recommendations the task…
Missouri Man Receives Three Years In Prison For Comics
The Department of Justice has announced that Christjan Bee, 36, of Monett, MO was sentenced this week to three years in federal prison without parole, followed by five years of supervised release because of comics he possessed on his computer. …