Court Opinion

ID: 9427365
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-02 23:20:30.32596+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:23:06.613847
License: Public Domain

Mr. Justice Brennan,
with whom Mr. Justice Stewart and Mr. Justice Marshall join,
dissenting.
Petitioner, convicted of distributing obscene materials under Ga,. Code §26-2101 (1975), asks this Court to decide the question:
“Whether jury instructions on scienter allowing a finding of 'constructive knowledge’ in an obscenity case are sufficient to meet . . . constitutional minimum standards. . . ?” Pet. for Cert. 2.
In Ballew v. Georgia, 435 U. S. 223 (1978), we granted certio-*907rari to consider, but did not reach, precisely this issue. See Pet. for Cert. in Ballew v. Georgia, O. T. 1977, No. 76-761, p. 2. I see no reason to suppose that this issue is any less worthy of consideration on certiorari now than it was when we accepted it in Ballew. For this reason, I would grant certiorari. See also Sewell v. Georgia, 435 U. S. 982 (1978) (Brennan, J., dissenting from dismissal of appeal); Teal v. Georgia, 435 U. S. 989 (1978) (same); Robinson v. Georgia, 435 U. S. 991 (1978) (Brennan, J., dissenting from vacation of judgment and remand). Barring this, I would grant this petition and summarily reverse. See Ballew, supra, at 246 (opinion of Brennan, J.); Sanders v. Georgia, 424 U. S. 931 (1976) (dissent from denial of certiorari).