Case Name: STATE of Louisiana and The Parish of Caddo v. GULF STATES THEATRES OF LOUISIANA, INC., et al.
Court: Louisiana Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 1972-06-29
Citations: 270 So. 2d 547
Docket Number: No. 52132
Parties: STATE of Louisiana and The Parish of Caddo v. GULF STATES THEATRES OF LOUISIANA, INC., et al.
Judges: BARHAM, J., dissents with written reasons.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 270
Pages: 547–578

Head Matter:
264 La. 44
STATE of Louisiana and The Parish of Caddo v. GULF STATES THEATRES OF LOUISIANA, INC., et al.
No. 52132.
Supreme Court of Louisiana.
June 29, 1972.
Dissenting Opinion July 10, 1972.
On Rehearing Dec. 18, 1972.
William J. Guste, Jr., Atty. Gen., Harry H. Howard, Asst. Atty, Gen., John A. Richardson, Dist. Atty., Charles R. Lindsay, Asst. Dist. Atty., for plaintiffs-applicants.
Wilkinson, Woods, Carmody & Peatross, Arthur R. Carmody, Jr., John M. Madison, Jr., Shreveport, Breazeale, Sachse & Wilson, Hopkins P. Breazeale, Jr., Baton Rouge, for defendants-respondents.

Opinion:
SUMMERS, Justice.
Article 106 of the Criminal Code denounces as obscene the exhibition with in tent to primarily appeal to the prurient interest of the average person of lewd, lascivious, filthy or sexually indecent motion picture film. Acting on this authority the district attorney of Caddo Parish, on behalf of the state and parish, brought this action against defendants, the owners and operators of the Broadmoor Theatre in Shreveport, to abate as a public nuisance the showing of the motion picture "The Stewardesses". The action was brought under the procedure prescribed by the Abatement of Nuisances Statute, Sections 4711-4717 of Title 13 of the Revised Statutes.
On this basis, and the sworn statement of facts contained in the petition filed by the district attorney, the trial judge issued an order restraining and enjoining the exhibition of the motion picture. At the same time, as the statute prescribes, a rule to show cause within five days why a permanent injunction should not issue was served on defendants. Defendants filed motions to dismiss, exceptions of no cause and no right of action, a plea of unconstitutionality and motion for continuance. On the fifth day all motions and exceptions were overruled and the trial of the rule proceeded. A full hearing was had on the question of the obscene nature of the film with the State assuming the burden of proof. At the conclusion of the evidence, the trial judge announced his reasons for judgment from the bench. He said:
. the evidence as a whole shows that there was no plot or story to the movie and that it was merely scenes and acts in the context that made them lewd, lascivious, obscene and sexually indecent, and therefore in the opinion of this Court the dominant theme of this movie, "The Stewardesses" taken as a whole is designed to appeal to sexual prurient interest, and it is offensive and affronts contemporary standards relating to sexual matters and is without any redeeming social value. Its showing is therefore a nuisance and it is the judgment of this court that an injunction be granted
A formal judgment was accordingly rendered and signed permanently enjoining defendants from showing any version of the motion picture within Caddo Parish.
On appeal to the Second Circuit, Section 4712 of Title 13 of the Revised Statutes was declared unconstitutional. Accordingly, the judgment of the trial court was reversed and the injunction recalled. 255 So.2d 857. An act of the legislature having been declared unconstitutional, we granted certiorari upon the plaintiff's application. 257 La. 154, 260 So.2d 698.
At the outset we hold that we agree with the trial judge and decide that "The Stewardesses" is obscene. The record amply supports the trial judge, and there is no manifest error in his findings. There was no plot or story. The movie consisted merely of a series of scenes or incidents portrayed in a context which made them lewd, lascivious, obscene and sexually indecent. The dominant theme is designed to appeal to prurient interest. The movie is offensive and affronts contemporary standards of the average person in the community, and it is without any redeeming social value. We note, also, that obscenity is not within the area of constitutionally protected free speech. Roth v. United States, 354 U.S. 476, 77 S.Ct. 1304, 1 L.Ed.2d 1498 (1957).
Defendants' claim of unconstitutionality is that the Abatement of Public Nuisances Statute (La.R.S. 13:4711 — 4717) is a device to suppress without notice or hearing the right to exhibit this motion picture. As such, they say, the statute violates defendants' freedom of expression guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Federal Constitution and Article I, Section 2 of the Louisiana Constitution. Further, it is contended the statute is unconstitutional in that (1) its "rule nisi" provisions casts the burden of proof on defendants; (2) there is no provision in the statute for a speedy trial court decision; (3) there is no speedy appellate procedure; (4) the mandatory penalties requiring that the building in which the nuisance exists be padlocked for one year violates the property owner's due process of law rights, and (S) the body of the act is broader than its title.
The part of the Abatement of Public Nuisances Act, Part A (La.R.S. 13:4711-4713) with which we are concerned, pertinently provides that an obscene motion picture, as defined by the criminal laws of this State, and the premises where it is displayed, are declared to be nuisances and shall be enjoined. By the terms of Section 4712 of the Act, the district attorney, the sheriff or the parish governing authority, any corporation or association formed in this State for the suppression of vice, and any citizen of the parish may maintain an action to enjoin and abate such a nuisance. "Upon the presentation of the petition for injunction alleging that the nuisance exists, verified by the affidavits of at least two persons, or verified by the affidavit of the district attorney or other parish official hereinabove designated on information and belief, the judge . . . shall grant a temporary injunction without bond." A rule nisi must be issued, returnable in five days, and a hearing shall be had thereon. No such action may be brought by anyone other than the district attorney or other parish official hereinabove designated until the applicant obtains a certificate from the district judge that the applicant is acting in good faith and not for any improper purposes.
The injunction action may be dismissed upon contradictory motion. The motion to be accompanied by sworn statements of the mover and his attorney setting forth the reasons for dismissal.
I
The principal thrust of the attack upon the constitutionality of the act is aimed at the quoted provision declaring that "the judge . . . shall grant a temporary injunction." It is contended that there is no requirement that probable cause be shown through factual allegations in the affidavit accompanying the petition; that is, the mandate that the judge "shall" grant the temporary injunction deprives the judge of any discretion in the matter; the implication being that the judge must issue the temporary injunction whether the nuisance exists or not. For this reason, it is asserted, the First Amendment right of freedom of expression enjoyed by makers and exhibitors of motion pictures is restrained without reasonable cause.
This argument lacks merit. The statute requires that the petition allege the existence of a "nuisance" and that it be verified by the district attorney. This makes it necessary for the trial judge to determine, on the basis of the facts alleged, whether "obscenity", as defined by Article 106 of the Criminal Code, is "carried on" before he issues an injunction. If the allegations and the accompanying affidavit do not, in the judge's opinion, recite facts which warrant a conclusion that a "nuisance" is being "carried on" then the prerequisites to the issuance of the injunction have not been satisfied and the judge must not sign the temporary injunction. On the other hand, if the allegations of the petition and the accompanying affidavit do set forth, in the judge's opinion, that a "nuisance" is being carried on, then, and in that event, he "shall" issue the temporary injunction.
Under this view a great deal of discretion is left to the trial judge for a judgment on his part must be made. He must ascertain from the petition and accompanying affidavit whether the facts set out fulfill those elements of the law which, taken together, constitute a nuisance. For instance, in this case, the petition must allege that the film must have been, and is being, exhibited with intent to primarily appeal to the prurient interest of the average person. And it must be lewd, lascivious, filthy or sexually indecent.
It is not mandatory that the judge sign every petition placed before him whether it is properly supported by the facts or not. We doubt that any trial judge so construes this statute. He "shall" sign only those injunctions which are supported by a sworn petition which alleges facts which constitute a nuisance. This is what occurred in this case. In the petition which he presented the district attorney alleged in detail the exhibition of the movie, the location of the theater in close proximity to a public elementary school and a Baptist Church; that the movie was viewed by many people' and that the movie was lewd, lascivious, obscene and sexually indecent and, as a whole, appealed only to prurient interests, and that it was without any redeeming social value whatever, particularly describing the details of the movie. In addition to the sworn statement of the district attorney, the assistant district attorney made oath to the verity of the allegations.
The word "shall" as used in this statute is nothing more than the mandate the law imposes upon the judge to issue an order, as in other cases, when the rights of the parties are supported by the law and properly alleged facts; e.g., "An injunction shall issue . . . ." La. Code Civil P. art. 3601; "A temporary restraining order shall be granted without notice when it clearly appears from specific facts shown by a verified petition or by supporting affidavit . . . ."
Any restriction imposed in advance of a final judicial determination on the merits of obscenity must be limited by the shortest fixed period compatible with sound judicial resolution and the proceedings must be assured of a prompt final judicial decision. A period of fourteen days would not be too long within which to commence such proceedings. United States v. Thirty-seven Photographs, 402 U.S. 363, 91 S.Ct. 1400, 28 L.Ed.2d 822 (1971).
Some prior restraint is necessary if the efforts of states to regulate obscenity are to be enforcible. Delta Book Distributors v. Cronvich, 304 F.Supp. 662 (W.D.La.1969).
Thus the procedure provided by the statute under review provides a reasonable basis for restraint. The judge is furnished with reliable information to satisfy himself of the factual basis for the issuance of the injunction. Lee Art Theatre, Inc. v. Virginia, 392 U.S. 636, 88 S.Ct. 2103, 20 L. Ed.2d 1313 (1968). While the protection against prior restraint is an important right, it is not an absolute one. Kingsley Books, Inc. v. Brown, 354 U.S. 436, 77 S. Ct. 1325, 1 L.Ed.2d 1469 (1957).
II
It is obvious that the Abatement of Nuisances Statute has given these defendants ample protection. The statute provides for the issuance of a temporary injunction to maintain the status quo if the judge is satisfied that a nuisance exists. He must set a date for an adversary hearing within five days thereafter. At that time a judicial determination of obscenity must be made. This was done in the case at bar. And the plaintiff here assumed the burden of proving obscenity as the law requires. Pearce v. Johnson, 213 So.2d 117 (La.App.1968); Cloud v. Dyers, 172 So.2d 528 (La.App.1965). Thus, the statute was constitutionally applied in that the burden of proof was sustained by the plaintiff. And when a statute is constitutionally applied it must be upheld against a claim of constitutional infirmity on its face. ABC Books, Inc. v. Benson, 315 F.Supp. 695 (M.D.Tenn.1970); Gable v. Jenkins, 309 F.Supp. 998 (N.D.Ga.1969); Rage Books, Inc. v. Leary, 301 F.Supp. 546 (S.D.N.Y.1969).
Accordingly the claim that the "rule nisi" provisions casts the burden of proof on defendants is not well-founded.
Ill
There is ample provision in the statute for a speedy trial court decision. Five days after issuance of the temporary restraining order, the matter was heard and determined. This time interval meets the constitutional test set out by the United States Supreme Court in United States v. Thirty-seven Photographs, 402 U.S. 363, 91 S.Ct. 1400, 28 L.Ed.2d 822 (1971), where a fourteen-day period was approved. The fact is that defendants found the time too short, or so they alleged, for they sought and were denied continuances or delays on several occasions. ABC Books, Inc. v. Benson, 315 F.Supp. 695 (M.D.Tenn.1970).
Procedural laws applying to injunctions generally are to be read into the contested act as supplementary thereto when they are not in conflict. In keeping with this obvious proposition, a reference to Article 3606 of the Code of Civil Procedure is relevant. It sets forth the time limitation for decision on a preliminary injunction:
When a temporary restraining order is granted, the application for a preliminary injunction shall be assigned for hearing at the earliest possible time . . (Emphasis added.)
In our view the requirement that the hearing on the preliminary injunction be held at the "earliest possible time" carries with it the clear implication that the decision on the hearing also must be forthcoming at the "earliest possible time." Such a requirement is the most stringent the law can impose, for surely the law cannot demand the impossible. That is what occurred in this case. The hearing was held and decided the same day — the "earliest possible time."
The argument is without merit that Section 4207 of Title 13 of the Revised Statutes, requiring that judges render judgments within thirty days after the case is submitted, permits an unreasonable delay. Although the section referred to does generally permit a thirty-day delay for rendition of judgments, this does not preclude the imposition of a shorter delay as in injunction cases. The applicable delay in the case at bar is that prescribed by Article 3606 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
IV
The contention that there is no speedy appellate procedure prescribed in the statute is also untenable. The judicial determination of obscenity in the first instance is a speedy procedure as we have set forth in Part III. The anneal procedure is as expeditious as the machinery of courts can reasonably be expected to function in such cases. La.Code Civil P. arts. 3601, 2081-2167. The matter was appealed to the Second Circuit and decided within five months. An application for rehearing was denied within fifty days. We granted writs in thirty-seven days. A motion for special assignment in this court was granted. In our view this was a reasonably prompt determination.
As Mr. Justice Harlan said in A Quantity of (Copies of) Books v. Kansas, 378 U. S. 205, 84 S.Ct. 1723, 12 L.Ed.2d 809 (1964):
It is vital to the operation of democratic government that the citizens have facts and ideas on important issues before them. A delay of even a day or two may be of crucial importance in some instances. On the other hand, the subject of sex is of constant but rarely particularly topical interest.
Moreover, under a proper showing, the effect of the injunction may be suspended pending the appeal. La.Code of Civil P. art. 3612.
V
Defendants contend that the statute contains mandatory penalties requiring that the building in which the nuisance exists be padlocked for one year and this statutory requirement violates the property owner's due process of law rights. The statute does not make it mandatory that the building be padlocked for one year. It provides that the court shall direct the effectual closing of the building "for the period of one year, unless sooner released." La.R.S. 13:4714. The clause "unless sooner released" means that the closure may be for a lesser period than one year, six months, a week, a day, or for no time as in the instant case. The building has not been padlocked. Only the showing of the film in Caddo Parish was abated. Defendants have been in business -operating the Broadmoor Theater continually since the seizure of "The Stewardesses" film.
VI
It is asserted that the body of the act is broader than its title and for this reason the act violates the title-body clause of Article 3, Section 16 of the Louisiana Constitution: "Every statute enacted by the Legislature shall embrace but one object, and shall have a title indicative of its obj ect."
The title of the 1970 amendment complained of sets forth:
To amend and reenact Sections 4711 and 4715 of Title 13 . . . , relative to the abatement of the public nuisances of assignation, prostitution or obscenity, to provide with respect to the enumeration of items declared to be nuisances in premises in which assignation, prostitution or obscenity is carried on, conducted, continued, permitted or exists; to provide with respect to the discontinuance of abatement proceedings upon the giving of bond by the owners of such premises by establishing an additional condition regarding obscenity; and to otherwise provide with respect thereto.
It should be noted that this title seeks only to amend two sections of the six-section act. Even a casual reading of the title and body of the act makes it readily apparent 'that the title is more than adequate to comply with the title-body clause of the Constitution.
The title of an act must be broadly construed with a view to effectuating, not frustrating, the legislative purpose. This is the sense in which this court has many times construed the title-body clause of the Constitution. Bethlehem Supply Company v. Pan-Southern Petroleum Corp., 207 La. 149, 20 So.2d 737 (1945). In resolving this issue, the presumption exists that the act is constitutional. State ex rel. Board of Com'rs., etc. v. Bergeron, 235 La. 879, 106 So.2d 295 (1958).
There is no violation of the title-body clause here.
For the reasons assigned, the judgment of the Court of Appeal is reversed and set aside, and the judgment of the district court is reinstated and made the judgment of this court.