The 1995 Detroit Adult Magazine Ordinance stated that it was illegal to sell adult magazines in any public place unless they were hidden from view in an enclosed cabinet. They also had to be sold individually, instead of bundled together with non-adult publications. Additionally, stores could only have one copy per magazine title available for customers at a time. These restrictions were met with strong opposition from many groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) who argued that these laws violated freedom of speech rights under the First Amendment. The case went all the way up to the Supreme Court where Justices ruled in favor of Flynt, striking down the ordinances as unconstitutional due to their vagueness and lack of justification. However, this decision did not completely end regulations surrounding adult materials, as states such as California continue to pass similar laws today despite criticism from organizations like the ACLU. Despite these setbacks, Larry Flynt continues his fight against censorship through his organization's publication "Hustler" magazine which remains one of America's most popular pornographic titles even decades later. Explanation of the Detroit Adult Magazine Ordinance and its history
In 1995, the city of Detroit passed two ordinances designed to regulate the sale and display of adult magazines. The first law required that all adult magazines be placed behind an enclosure so that they could not be seen by anyone other than the person buying them. This meant that stores could no longer bundle adult magazines with non-adult publications or sell them alongside more innocent fare on their shelves. Furthermore, each store was limited to having only one copy of any given title available for purchase at any given time. Violations of either law carried fines of up to $200 per day per magazine. These restrictions were met with strong opposition from many groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) who argued that these laws violated freedom of speech rights under the First Amendment. The case went all the way up to the Supreme Court where Justices ruled in favor of Flynt, striking down the ordinances as unconstitutional due to their vagueness and lack of justification. However, this decision did not completely end regulations surrounding adult materials, as states such as California continue to pass similar laws today despite criticism from organizations like the ACLU. Despite these setbacks, Larry Flynt continues his fight against censorship through his organization's publication "Hustler" magazine which remains one of America's most popular pornographic titles even decades later.