Kingsley International Pictures Corp. v. Regents 360 U.S. 684 (1959)

views updated

KINGSLEY INTERNATIONAL PICTURES CORP. v. REGENTS 360 U.S. 684 (1959)

inKingsley International Pictures Corp. v. Regents the state of New York had refused to issue a license for the motion picture Lady Chatterley's Lover because it "alluringly portrays adultery as proper behavior." There was no claim that the film constituted an incitement to unlawful conduct. Without deciding whether all licensing schemes for motion pictures were unconstitutional the Supreme Court held that the refusal to grant this license violated the first amendment. The Court reaffirmed that motion pictures were within the scope of the First Amendment and proclaimed that the amendment's "basic guarantee" is "the freedom to advocate ideas," including the idea that adultery may in some cases be justified.

Steven Shiffrin
(1986)

About this article

Kingsley International Pictures Corp. v. Regents 360 U.S. 684 (1959)

Updated About encyclopedia.com content Print Article

NEARBY TERMS

Kingsley International Pictures Corp. v. Regents 360 U.S. 684 (1959)