Court Opinion

ID: 9695347
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-25 18:15:50.339079+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:20:10.937351
License: Public Domain

FAULKNER, Justice.
This is a pornography case involving the sale of a magazine entitled “New Directions” after it had been judicially found to be obscene.
“New Directions” is published in North Hollywood, California by Jaybird Enterprises, Inc. The masthead states that it is a “cultural, scientific, educational, and sociological publication produced and distributed to illuminate the conviction that the unclothed human body is worthy of respect and deserving of increased acceptance in our culture . . . Subscription rates, $14.00 per year. Second-class postage paid in North Hollywood, California.” A review of its pictures contained in the magazine introduced into evidence as an exhibit reveal photographs of nude men and women exposing their genital organs in a revolting manner; male kissing female body near her genital organ; female kissing male in a like manner; females shown with their legs spread-eagle apart exposing their genital organs; male kissing the female breast; male sitting over female with *486his genital organ touching her mouth, and many more similar poses — the magazine contains 61 pages in all. After review of pictures of these grotesque nudes, a person of reasonable sensibilities will conclude that it is no wonder God made man and woman to wear clothes. Without them some are the most unattractive animals in His kingdom.
“New Directions” was one of a number of magazines declared to be obscene in a decree rendered by the Circuit Court of Mobile County on February 26, 1970, in an action styled, State of Alabama, ex rel Attorney General of Alabama, ex rel District Attorney of the 13th Judicial Circuit of Alabama v. The Magazine, “Jaybird U.S. A.”, No. 16, Vol. 4, No. 4; The Magazine, “New Directions”, No. 14, Vol. 4, No. 4, et al., Case Number 76399. Each of the magazines was determined to be mailable matter and each was declared to be contraband. There appears to be a typographical error in the style of the case which refers to No. 14, Vol. 4, No. 4 of “New Directions”. The decree refers to No. 16, Vol. 4, No. 4.
Gn March 10, 1970, a State attorney accompanied by a State investigator, went to the Paris Bookstall, Birmingham, Alabama, a place of business operated by McKinney, and personally delivered a letter to McKinney informing him that “New Directions” had been judicially declared to be obscene. On March 31, 1970, these officers returned to the Paris Bookstall and purchased the magazine, “New Directions” from McKinney. While there, and with McKinney looking on, and in the presence of the investigator, the State attorney “flipped” through the pages of the magazine. Afterwards, they left, and the investigator signed a complaint charging McKinney with violating Title 14, § 374(4), Code of Alabama 1940, Recompiled 1958,1 by selling obscene material which had been judicially declared to be obscene. McKinney was convicted in a trial before a jury and was given the maximum sentence under the statute. Before retiring, the jury was charged by the court that the only issue of fact for them to decide involved the question of selling material judicially declared obscene as charged in the complaint.
McKinney appealed his conviction to the Court of Criminal Appeals. The appellate court affirmed the trial court without rendering an opinion. Upon his application for rehearing being denied, McKinney filed a petition for certiorari, alleging deprivation of constitutional rights; that this was a case of first impression. We granted certiorari.
Neither McKinney nor the State introduced evidence in the trial on the question of obscenity, vel non. McKinney raised that issue in a motion to quash the complaint which the trial judge overruled. A motion to exclude the evidence was also *487overruled by the trial court. The validity of the judgment of the Mobile Circuit Court was questioned by McKinney on objection to its introduction in evidence, first in the sense that he was not a party to the action, second that the State had to prove by affirmative evidence that the subject magazine was obscene in this trial.
The action in the Mobile Circuit Court was filed pursuant to the provisions of Act No. 856, § 5 through § 11, Acts of Alabama 1961, Vol. II. The court acting as trier of fact found the magazine to be obscene. The 1961 Act defines obscene to mean “lewd, lascivious, filthy and pornographic .and that to the average person, applying contemporary community standards, its dominant theme taken as a whole appeals to prurient interest.” (Emphasis added.)
The Act passes the constitutional test laid down by United States Supreme Court decisions. Under Miller v. California, 413 U.S. 15, 93 S.Ct. 2607, 37 L.Ed.2d 419, the court set out new guides to use in regulating obscene material. State offenses must be limited to works which:
1. Depict or describe sexual conduct which is specifically defined by applicable State law (as written or authoritatively construed) and
2. Taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest in sex and
3. Portrays sexual conduct in a patently offensive way, and
4. Taken as a whole does not have serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.
The guide for determining what is “patently offensive” or appeals to the “prurient interest” is to be “the average person” applying contemporary community standards. We construe “contemporary community standards” to encompass the State of Alabama. National standards are not required under Miller. While a trial court may empanel a jury in an advisory capacity to measure the essentially factual issues of “prurient appeal” and “patent offensiveness” by the prevailing “contemporary community standards” it is not constitutionally required. Alexander v. Virginia, 413 U.S. 836, 93 S.Ct. 2803, 37 L.Ed.2d 993 (1973). Furthermore, when the material itself is placed into evidence, “expert” State testimony as to its allegedly obscene nature, or other ancillary evidence of obscenity, is not constitutionally required. Kaplan v. California, 413 U.S. 115, 93 S. Ct. 2680, 37 L.Ed.2d 492 (1973).
Constitutional safeguards are provided in the Act for one charged with violating its provisions. Section 5 provides for the institution of proceedings for an adjudication in a Circuit Court. (While this section provides that the action shall be filed in a Court of Equity, under the Rules of Civil Procedure adopted by this court on July 3, 1973, there is now only one form of action known as a “Civil Action”. Rule 2, Rules of Civil Procedure.) Section 6 of the Act provides the type of complaint to be filed and the allegations which the complaint shall contain. Section 7 provides that an order to show cause shall be issued and service of same, upon the res and the person charged. Section 8 gives the respondent the opportunity to file defensive pleadings and permits answer by amicus curiae. Section 9 provides for maximum promptness of the hearing commensurate with constitutional requirements, including due process, freedom of the press, and freedom of speech. The burden is on the State to prove obscenity, vel non, in the adjudication of same.
Section 12 provides,
“Any mailable matter which is sent or caused to be sent, brought or caused to be brought into this State for sale or commercial distribution, or which in this State is sold, exhibited or commercially distributed, given away or offered to be given away or offered to be given away by any person, with knowledge of the decree finding it to be obscene, or is in the possession of any such person with *488intent to sell or commercially distribute or exhibit, or give away or offer to giveaway, is subject to the provisions of Section 4 of this Act.”
We now decide the question of whether the Mobile Circuit Court decree was binding on McKinney since he was not a party to the action and since obscenity, vel non, was not permitted as an issue by the trial court.
The Mobile action was in personam and in rem. The magazine, “New Directions,” the subject matter in this case, was one of the res declared by the court to be obscene. The decree of the court, which was not appealed, established the status of the res, and the decree as to the status of the res was conclusive against all the world as to that status. McCann v. Ellis, 172 Ala. 60, 55 So. 303 (1911). See Brennen v. Ellis, 173 Ala. 718, 55 So. 306 (1911); Jones v. Adler, 183 Ala. 435, 62 So. 777 (1913). See also Toole v. State, 170 Ala. 41, 54 So. 195 (1911), an in rem action against 114 barrels of beer for its condemnation where the court said the status of the property was to be fixed as to all the world.
The status of the res, “New Directions” being established, and there being no change in the standards of obscenity under the statute from the time of the Mobile hearing to the trial below, no evidence of obscenity, vel non, was required in this case.
The standards under our statute were the same ante Miller as they were post Miller. We conclude that McKinney, after due notice of the decree, was subject to criminal prosecution for selling material judicially declared obscene.
We note in passing what Mr. Justice Douglas said in his dissent in Miller:
“If a specific book, play, paper, or motion picture has in a civil proceeding been condemned as obscene and review of that finding has been completed, and thereafter a person publishes, shows, or displays that particular book or film, then a vague law has been made specific.”
Justice Douglas contends that until there has been a civil proceeding placing the tract beyond the pale, there should be no criminal prosecution.
Affirmed.
MERRILL, HARWOOD, MADDOX and McCALL, JJ., concur.
HEFLIN, C. J.,' and COLEMAN, BLOODWORTH and JONES, JJ., dissent.

. § 374(4). Importation, sale or possession of obscene printed or written matter; penalties.
—[1] Every person who, with knowledge of its contents, sends or causes to be sent, or brings or causes to be brought, into this state for sale or commercial distribution, or in this state prepares, sells, exhibits or commercially distributes, or gives away or offers to give away, or has in his possession with intent to sell or commercially distribute, or to give away or offer to give away, any obscene printed or written matter or material, other than mailable matter, or any mailable matter known by such person to have been judicially found to be obscene under this chapter, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be imprisoned in the county jail, or sentenced to hard labor for the county, for not more than one year, and may be fined not more than two thousand dollars for each offense, or be both so imprisoned and fined in the discretion of the court.
[2] Every person who, with knowledge of its contents, has in his possession any obscene printed or written matter or material, other than mailable matter, or any mailable matter known by such person to have been judicially found to be obscene under this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be imprisoned in the county jail, or sentenced to hard labor for the county, for not more than six months, or may be fined not more than five hundred dollars for each offense, or be both so imprisoned and fined in the discretion of the court.