Opinion ID: 406512
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: the scienter instruction

Text: 5 The State argues the federal district court erred when it concluded the element of scienter was missing from the instructions submitted to the jury. The State contends the jury received adequate instruction because the Information charging Mrs. Hunt, as well as the jury instructions, used the word knowingly in describing the conduct prohibited in 21 Okla.Stat. § 1040.51. We disagree with the State and conclude that the Information and jury instructions did not properly convey the concept of scienter to the jury. 6 Scienter, a specific awareness of the contents which make the publication obscene, is a necessary element of an obscenity statute. Hanf v. State, 560 P.2d 207, 210 (Okla.Cr.App.1977); see Hamling v. United States, 418 U.S. 87, 120-23, 94 S.Ct. 2887, 2909-2910, 41 L.Ed.2d 590 (1974); Smith v. California, 361 U.S. 147, 150-54, 80 S.Ct. 215, 217-219, 4 L.Ed.2d 205 (1959). The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals has ruled that scienter is incorporated into section 1040.51 in its knowingly requirement. Hanf, 560 P.2d at 210. See Ginsburg v. New York, 390 U.S. 629, 643-44, 88 S.Ct. 1274, 1282-1283, 20 L.Ed.2d 195 (1968); Mishkin v. New York, 383 U.S. 502, 510-11, 86 S.Ct. 958, 964-965, 16 L.Ed.2d 56 (1966). Consequently, the statute is constitutional. See Ward v. Illinois, 431 U.S. 767, 771-76, 97 S.Ct. 2085, 2088-2090, 52 L.Ed.2d 738 (1977); Hamling, 418 U.S. at 99, 121-24, 94 S.Ct. at 2898, 2909-2911. Nevertheless, the conviction of a particular defendant under section 1040.51 may be unconstitutional if the statute is improperly applied. See Hanf, 560 P.2d at 210-11. 7 To satisfy the scienter requirement, the prosecution must establish beyond a reasonable doubt that a defendant had knowledge of the contents of the material he distributed, and that he knew the character and nature of the materials, Hamling, 418 U.S. at 123, 94 S.Ct. at 2910, although it is not necessary to prove that a defendant knew or believed such materials might be classified as legally obscene. Id. at 120-23, 94 S.Ct at 2909, 2910. In this case, the mere use of the word knowingly in the Information and jury instructions did not adequately convey the concept of scienter to the jury. As the Oklahoma appellate court explained: 8 The appellant in the present case submitted three requested instructions relating to scienter, yet the only reference to scienter was in instruction No. 3, which stated that 'any person who knowingly buys, sells ... any moving picture ... which is obscene, ... is deemed guilty of a felony .... (Emphasis added) The State argues that because the word 'knowingly' was in the information and because the jury was instructed that the State had to prove each element alleged in the information beyond a reasonable doubt, there was a sufficient instruction on scienter. This is absurd. If one followed the State's argument, there would only be two instructions necessary in any criminal case-one iterating what was set out in the information and one saying that the State was required to prove everything alleged in the information beyond a reasonable doubt. 9 Hunt, 601 P.2d at 468. The jury was not properly instructed that knowingly selling a moving picture which turns out to be obscene does not satisfy the scienter requirement unless the seller is aware of the nature of the contents. Smith, 361 U.S. at 153, 80 S.Ct. at 218. The required instruction, approved by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals in Hanf, supplies the missing definition: 10  'You are instructed that the words knowingly and/or wilfully, as used in these instructions, require that you must find beyond a reasonable doubt from all the evidence in this case (either direct or circumstantial or both) that the defendant knew the contents of the material introduced into evidence as State's Exhibit(s) No. (s) .'  11 560 P.2d at 211 (emphasis deleted). We agree with the state appellate court that the scienter instruction in this case was legally insufficient.