Case Title: People v. Gould

Citation: 324 N.E.2d 412, 60 Ill. 2d 159

Docket Number: 42652, 42662

State: illinois

Court: Illinois Supreme Court

Date: 1975-01-21T00:00:00Z

Document:
60 Ill. 2d 159 (1975)
324 N.E.2d 412
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, Appellee,
v.
CHARLES GOULD et al., Appellants.
Nos. 42652, 42662 cons.

Supreme Court of Illinois.
Opinion filed January 21, 1975.
Rehearing denied March 24, 1975.
Howard T. Savage, of Chicago, for appellants.
William J. Scott, Attorney General, of Springfield, and Edward V. Hanrahan, State's Attorney, of Chicago (James B. Zagel, Assistant Attorney General, and Elmer C. Kissane and Mark T. Zubor, Assistant State's Attorneys, of counsel), for the People.
Judgment affirmed.
MR. JUSTICE WARD delivered the opinion of the court:
The defendants, Charles Gould, Vincent Geraci, John Geraci, Charles Kimmel, Bernard Kosova, Chiem Blinder, Henry Green and Bill G. Maier, were convicted of the offense of obscenity in the circuit court of Cook County. They appealed to this court under our former Rule 603 (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1969, ch. 110A, par. 603), and as they raised identical questions we consolidated their appeals for argument and opinion.
The defendants were charged in separate complaints with violating the provisions of the obscenity statute (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1969, ch. 38, par. 11-20) by selling obscene magazines. The complaints alleged sales of the following *160 magazines by the defendants indicated: "Orpheus," Charles Gould; "Luv," "Governess," Vincent Geraci; "Toni," John Geraci; "Governess," "Naked Sensation," "Sugar," Charles Kimmel; "Naked Now," Bernard Kosova; "Late Show," Chiem Blinder.
At the trial of each defendant the following stipulation was entered into by the prosecution and defense: "The arrest of the Defendant was lawful; the sale was made to an officer of the Vice Control Division of the Chicago Police Department; the publication, or publications, involved were in open view; no unlawful seizure is involved; no involvement of any minor is involved; Dr. William Haines, a psychiatrist of the Behavior Clinic of the Cook County Psychiatric Unit in the Criminal Court, if called as a witness, would testify that in his opinion the publication, or publications involved in each case had no redeeming social value; and Dr. Edward Kelleher, a psychiatrist, employed by the Municipal Court would testify, if he were called, that in his opinion, the publication or publications, involved are without redeeming social value; no extravagant advertising or pandering, such as that involved in Ginsburg v. United States, 382 U.S. 463, is involved; and that the sale in each case took place in the City of Chicago, County of Cook."
At bench trials the publication or publications involved in each case were admitted into evidence together with the stipulation, and each defendant was found guilty and fined $50.
The defendants' contention is that the magazines are not obscene.
The magazines "Orpheus," "Luv," "Governess," "Toni," "Sugar," and "Kronus" contain photographs of nude females or nearly nude female models dressed only in long stockings and garter belts. In all of the photographs the pubic area is fully exposed and is the focus of the photographs. Each magazine contains photographs that reveal as much as possible of the models' genitals by having *161 the models pose in contrived and even gymnastic positions and by having their legs spread far apart.
"Naked Now" contains color photographs of nearly nude models wearing long stockings and garter belts. The models' legs are apart in many of the photographs, obviously to focus attention on the genital area. In some of the photos abnormal sexual activity between two females is suggested and in others male models are posed with them, in such a way as to suggest that abnormal sexual activity is imminent.
"Diamond Stud" has photographs of female models posed with their legs spread so that their genitals are clearly revealed and are the focal point of the photographs. In two pictures nearly naked women are shown chained by their wrists while being whipped.
The magazine "Late Show," a publication appearing to be directed to lesbians, consists of pictures of nearly naked female models wearing long black stockings and garter belts. And other pictures explicitly depict the models in groups of two or more engaging in a variety of sexual activities with their genitals often prominently displayed.
The magazine "Naked Sensation" contains photographs of completely naked women and a man. Some pictures show them pictured in groups of two and three engaging in various activities with the genitals often displayed. Other photographs show a male and female model taking a shower, and some show female and male models giving each other massages.
The obscenity statute (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1969, ch. 38, par. 11-20) provides, inter alia:
In Miller v. California, 413 U.S. 15, 37 L. Ed. 2d 419, 93 S. Ct. 2607, the Supreme Court, in describing the constitutional guidelines for the regulation of obscene material, said in 413 U.S.  at 23-25, 37 L. Ed. 2d  at 430-1, 93 S.Ct. at 2614-15:
At the direction of the Supreme Court of the United States (413 U.S. 912, 37 L. Ed. 2d 1030, 93 S. Ct. 3046), in People v. Ridens, 59 Ill. 2d 362 (hereafter Ridens II), we considered further, in light of Miller, our earlier judgment in People v. Ridens, 51 Ill. 2d 410 (Ridens I). We held in Ridens II that our obscenity statute (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1969, ch. 38, par. 11-20) remained constitutional. We construed our statute to incorporate parts of guidelines (a) and (b) of the Miller standards (which are set out in the above quotation from Miller) and stated that under our statute the third question or guideline which must be considered in determining whether the matter or work is obscene is whether it is "utterly without redeeming social value." We explained that the more restrictive guideline (c), or part (c), of the Miller standard, i.e., whether "the work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value" cannot be used. See Ridens II.
We went on in Ridens II to conclude that the *165 magazines involved were obscene. In doing so we made reference to our description in Ridens I of the photographs involved. The photographs in Ridens were similar in character to the ones we have on this appeal, with the genitals being the focal point of the photographs. 51 Ill. 2d 410, 417.
Examining the photographs here against the background of the guidelines or criteria (a), (b) and (c) we have described above, we have no hesitation in judging them to be obscene. Each magazine taken as a whole appeals to the prurient interest and depicts offensive sexual conduct, including lewd exhibitions of the genitals. The magazines are utterly without redeeming social value.
For the reasons given, the judgments of the circuit court are affirmed.
Judgments affirmed.
MR. JUSTICE DAVIS, dissenting:
In the case of People v. Ridens, 59 Ill. 2d 362 (Ridens II), the majority held that the Illinois obscenity statute, section 11-20 of the Criminal Code (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1969, ch. 38, par. 11-20), and section 2 of the Moline obscenity ordinance are constitutional, as therein construed; that they incorporated parts (a) and (b) of the Miller standards; and that the changes in standards from Memoirs to Miller afford no impediment to the retroactive application of the statute and ordinance. I disagreed with the majority view and conclusion, and filed a dissent thereto.
In this case, the majority affirms the convictions of the defendants herein, who were found guilty in the circuit court of Cook County of the offense of obscenity, and cites with approval Ridens II for the proposition that the Illinois obscentiy statute, in the light of Miller, remains constitutional.
For the reasons stated in my dissent to Ridens II, I dissent herein and hereby incorporate said dissent by reference as my dissent to this majority opinion. As *166 further reason for said dissent and in support thereof, I cite United States v. Wasserman[*] (5th Cir. 12/9/74), which appears to hold that Miller standards cannot be retroactively applied. Wasserman was referred to in 16 Crim. L. Rptr. 2258, the digest of which states:
[*]   Now reported at 504 F.2d 1012.