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Butt v. Utah

Petition for certiorari denied on February 25, 2013

Docket No. Op. Below Argument Opinion Vote Author Term
12-348 Utah N/A N/A N/A N/A OT 2012

Issue: (1) Whether jury decisions that material is obscene " either obscene for all viewers or just for minors " should be reviewed using the independent appellate review mandated by Bose Corp. v. Consumers Union of U.S., Inc. and Jenkins v. Georgia, as there is a split on this question among state courts of last resort and federal circuit courts; and (2) whether this Court should provide lower courts with a benchmark precedent about what material is "obscene as to minors" or "harmful to minors," by deciding whether roughly drawn pictures, lacking in sexual content, sent by a father to his wife to be shown to his young child are properly viewed as "obscene as to minors."

SCOTUSblog Coverage

DateProceedings and Orders (key to color coding)
09/06/2012Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due October 22, 2012)
10/18/2012Order extending time to file response to petition to and including November 21, 2012.
10/22/2012Brief amicus curiae of National Coalition Against Censorship filed.
10/22/2012Brief amicus curiae of Professor Paul R. Abramson filed.
11/21/2012Brief of respondent Utah in opposition filed.
12/03/2012Reply of petitioner Eric Leon Butt, Jr. filed. (Distributed)
12/05/2012DISTRIBUTED for Conference of January 4, 2013.
01/03/2013Record Requested .
01/16/2013Record received from the Seventh Judicial District Court, Monticello Department (electronically filed).
01/22/2013Record received the Supreme Court of Utah (electronically filed).
01/23/2013DISTRIBUTED for Conference of February 15, 2013.
02/19/2013DISTRIBUTED for Conference of February 22, 2013.
02/25/2013Petition DENIED.

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