"I Know It When I See It": The Supreme Court and the Changing Definition of Obscenity

Authors

Madelaine Setiawan, Lee University

Abstract

This research paper analyzes the Supreme Court’s history in defining obscenity by exploring how and why the Supreme Court’s definition of obscenity changed over time through many of the Court rulings and landmark decisions. This paper will look into these cases chronologically from Rosen v. United States (1896) to Miller v. California (1973). This research demonstrates that the key to the changes in defining obscenity lies in the evolution of societal values, where the Court merely adapts to what society demands.

First Page

114

Last Page

131

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Setiawan, Madelaine (2021) ""I Know It When I See It": The Supreme Court and the Changing Definition of Obscenity," Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History: Vol. 11: Iss. 2, Article 8.
DOI: 10.20429/aujh.2021.110208
Available at: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/aujh/vol11/iss2/8