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Page Number: 5

Cite as:  559 U. S. ____ (2010) 

1 

Opinion of the Court 

NOTICE:  This opinion is subject to formal revision before publication in the
preliminary  print  of  the  United  States  Reports.  Readers  are  requested  to
notify the Reporter of Decisions, Supreme Court of the United States, Wash-
ington,  D. C.  20543,  of  any  typographical  or  other  formal  errors,  in  order
that corrections may be made before the preliminary print goes to press. 

SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES 

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No. 08–769 
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UNITED STATES, PETITIONER v. ROBERT J. 

STEVENS 

ON WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF

APPEALS FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT

[April 20, 2010] 

CHIEF  JUSTICE  ROBERTS  delivered  the  opinion  of  the

Court. 

Congress  enacted  18  U. S. C.  §48  to  criminalize  the
commercial  creation,  sale,  or  possession  of  certain  depic-
tions  of  animal  cruelty.  The  statute  does  not  address 
underlying acts harmful to animals, but only portrayals of 
such  conduct.    The  question  presented  is  whether  the 
prohibition in the statute is consistent with the freedom of
speech guaranteed by the First Amendment. 

I 
Section  48  establishes  a  criminal  penalty  of  up  to  five
years  in  prison  for  anyone  who  knowingly  “creates,  sells,
or  possesses  a  depiction  of  animal  cruelty,”  if  done  “for
commercial  gain”  in  interstate  or  foreign  commerce. 
§48(a).1    A  depiction  of  “animal  cruelty”  is  defined  as  one 

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1 The statute reads in full: 
“§48. Depiction of animal cruelty
  “(a)

 CREATION, SALE,  OR  POSSESSION.—Whoever  knowingly  creates,
sells,  or  possesses  a  depiction  of  animal  cruelty  with  the  intention  of 
placing that depiction in interstate or foreign commerce for commercial
gain,  shall  be  fined  under  this  title  or  imprisoned  not  more  than  5