Ward v. Illinois 431 U.S. 767 (1977)
WARD v. ILLINOIS 431 U.S. 767 (1977)
The Supreme Court upheld, 5–4, a conviction for selling "sado-masochistic" materials. (See mishkin v. new york.) Justice byron r. white, for the majority, said that a state law could pass the "patent offensiveness" part of the test of miller v. california (1973) although it did not specifically define the proscribed materials; state court interpretations had followed Miller 's guidelines. The dissenters, led by Justice john paul stevens, argued that the absence of the statutory definition specified by Miller left the law unconstitutionally vague.
Kenneth L. Karst
(1986)
More From encyclopedia.com
Samuel Freeman Miller , MILLER, SAMUEL FREEMAN
Samuel Freeman Miller served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1862 to 1890. During his long tenure on th… Joaquin Miller , Joaquin Miller
Joaquin Miller
American writer Joaquin Miller (1837-1913), a self-styledbuilt a temporary reputation on literary opportunism and a for… Henry Miller , American author Henry Miller was a major force in literature in the late 1950s, largely because his two most important novels, banned from publicatio… Reggie Miller , Miller, Reggie 1965–
Professional basketball player
Reggie Miller is a talented man who comes from a very talented family in Riverside, California. O… Potter Stewart , Potter Stewart
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart (1915-1985) was a strong supporter of civil rights and of First and Fourteenth amendment rig… Harry Andrew Blackmun , Harry Blackmun
Harry Blackmun (born 1908), appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Nixon, became a highly regarded justice usually taking a…
About this article
Ward v. Illinois 431 U.S. 767 (1977)
You Might Also Like
NEARBY TERMS
Ward v. Illinois 431 U.S. 767 (1977)