Court Opinion

ID: 9689663
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 18:42:18.198572+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:18:51.191783
License: Public Domain

KELLY, Justice
(concurring specially).
In Johnson v. City of Rochester, 293 Minn. 156, 197 N.W.2d 244 (1972), this court held that property alleged to be obscene may not be seized by the authorities in the absence of a prior adversary hearing. This holding was consistent with opinions of the United States Supreme Court and other Federal decisions. See, e.g., A Quantity of Copies of Books v. Kansas, 378 U.S. 205, 84 S.Ct. 1723, 12 L.Ed.2d 809 (1964); Marcus v. Search Warrant of Property, 367 U.S. 717, 81 S.Ct. 1708, 6 L.Ed.2d 1127 (1961); Cambist Films, Inc. v. Duggan, 420 F.2d 687 (3 Cir. 1969). Fundamental to Johnson was the idea that certain safeguards must be provided prior to the imposition of limitations on the rights of free speech. In deciding Johnson, we were not, however, unmindful of the potential practical difficulties created by our ruling. 293 Minn. 160, 197 N.W.2d 247. Hoping to prevent difficulty in the implementation of the rule, we cited several cases which had proposed devices to meet this problem. 293 Minn. 160, 197 N.W.2d 247. Examples of those devices include protective or restraining orders prohibiting the publisher or exhibitor from concealing, destroying, or tampering with the films or subpoena duces tecum to obtain the material in question.
That these procedures have not been effective is aptly demonstrated by the instant case. Here, the prosecution did all possible to comply with the applicable constitutional requirements. Yet, as our decision today indicates, the sought-after material, which is necessary to the prosecution of the case, is still unobtainable.
Since our decision in Johnson, the United States Supreme Court decided the case of Heller v. New York, 413 U.S. 483, 93 S.Ct. 2789, 37 L.Ed.2d 745 (1973). In Heller, a search warrant was issued for the seizure of an allegedly obscene film; the warrant was executed and the film seized. The defendant claimed that the seizure was unconstitutional absent a prior adversary hearing. The New York Court of Appeals sustained the conviction and the Supreme Court affirmed, stating:
“We affirm this holding of the Court of Appeals of the State of New York. This Court has never held, or even implied, that there is an absolute First or Fourteenth Amendment right to a prior adversary hearing applicable to all cases where allegedly obscene material is *355seized. In particular, there is no such absolute right where allegedly obscene material is seized, pursuant to a warrant, to preserve the material as evidence in a criminal prosecution.” 413 U.S. 488, 93 S.Ct. 2792, 37 L.Ed.2d 751. (Citations omitted.)
In so holding the Court distinguished Marcus and Quantity of Books, supra, on the grounds that they represented the seizure of mass quantities of books for the purpose of destruction, as opposed to the seizure of a film for the purpose of its preservation as evidence. The Court did point out that there was no evidence that the seizure of the film prevented its continued exhibition but went on to state that the “ * * * temporary restraint [as evidenced by the seizure] in itself [did not] ‘become a form of censorship,’ even making the doubtful assumption that no other copies of the film existed.” 413 U.S. 490, 93 S.Ct. 2793, 37 L.Ed.2d 753. Thus, it seems clear that our decision in Johnson is not constitutionally mandated and, despite what seems to be our recent affirmation of it in City of Duluth v. Wendling, 306 Minn. 384, 237 N.W.2d 79 (1975), I would urge that it be overruled prospectively.
I wish to stress that in principle, I am not opposed to the rule of Johnson. I am not in favor of the unjustified squelching of First Amendment rights. However, I do not believe, and in this I have the support of the United States Supreme Court, that the safeguards afforded by Johnson are necessary toward that end.
Were the system we suggested in Johr. son working effectively as we envisioned, I would have no objection to .its continuation. That this is not the case is clear from the case before us. I am convinced that by overruling Johnson and adopting the principles enunciated in Heller we will best be able to protect the rights of the accused without unduly hindering the legitimate interests of the state.