Court Opinion

ID: 9570674
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 20:25:05.593014+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:13:37.038600
License: Public Domain

WILKINS, Justice
(concurring with comments to Justice Maughan’s dissenting opinion.):
I concur with Justice Maughan that the unconstitutionality of the ordinance and prosecutorial misconduct warrant a reversal in this case and make these comments.
The fact that the film in this case would probably be considered revolting trash to a large number of people in no way removes the need to have the matters of misconduct and uneonstitutionality meaningfully addressed — and resolved against the plaintiff because they are, I respectfully submit, meritorious.
*1316Pornography has been and can be successfully prosecuted by conduct which comports with traditionally established rules and under properly drawn ordinances and statutes, but aversion to pornography must not become an instrument to mar our legal system’s commitment to a fair trial.
In many trials, civil and criminal, the controversy involves distress, dishonesty, brutality, filth, violence — involves indeed all types of ugly and unpleasant matters. But our system’s commitment does not permit imposition of sanctions against even the “hated and despicable” without observing the proper legal processes and standards.
And I do not think that our legal system, which requires these standards, promotes technical nonsense or results in vast futility. It rather aids and solves — in this imperfect world — -more than it hinders or fails.