Porn peddlers should be prosecuted, say members of a federal smut commission. Wired News delivered to your inbox or hand-held device. The most recent variation of U.S. obscenity law grew out of the 1973 Miller v. But obscenity laws date back much further, to prosecutions in England in the early 1700s, and were derived from religious prohibitions against blasphemy.
Critics say obscenity laws violate free speech rights guaranteed by the First Amendment.
Private-sector members of the commission said that obscenity prosecutions were the wrong approach. Send it . Use this version. E-mail this to a friend. Wired Digital Inc., a Lycos Network site.