77-1426 | SCOTUS | Jun 26, 1978

Dissenting Opinion

Mr. Justice Brennan, with whom Mr. Justice Stewart and Mr. Justice Marshall join,

dissenting.

Petitioner, convicted of distributing obscene materials under Ga,. Code §26-2101 (1975), asks this Court to decide the question:

“Whether jury instructions on scienter allowing a finding of 'constructive knowledge’ in an obscenity case are sufficient to meet . . . constitutional minimum standards. . . ?” Pet. for Cert. 2.

In Ballew v. Georgia, 435 U.S. 223" court="SCOTUS" date_filed="1978-03-21" href="https://app.midpage.ai/document/ballew-v-georgia-109814?utm_source=webapp" opinion_id="109814">435 U. S. 223 (1978), we granted certio-*907rari to consider, but did not reach, precisely this issue. See Pet. for Cert. in Ballew v. Georgia, O. T. 1977, No. 76-761, p. 2. I see no reason to suppose that this issue is any less worthy of consideration on certiorari now than it was when we accepted it in Ballew. For this reason, I would grant certiorari. See also Sewell v. Georgia, 435 U.S. 982" court="SCOTUS" date_filed="1978-04-24" href="https://app.midpage.ai/document/sewell-v-georgia-109846?utm_source=webapp" opinion_id="109846">435 U. S. 982 (1978) (Brennan, J., dissenting from dismissal of appeal); Teal v. Georgia, 435 U.S. 989" court="SCOTUS" date_filed="1978-04-24" href="https://app.midpage.ai/document/teal-v-georgia-109847?utm_source=webapp" opinion_id="109847">435 U. S. 989 (1978) (same); Robinson v. Georgia, 435 U.S. 991" court="SCOTUS" date_filed="1978-04-24" href="https://app.midpage.ai/document/robinson-v-georgia-9010674?utm_source=webapp" opinion_id="9010674">435 U. S. 991 (1978) (Brennan, J., dissenting from vacation of judgment and remand). Barring this, I would grant this petition and summarily reverse. See Ballew, supra, at 246 (opinion of Brennan, J.); Sanders v. Georgia, 424 U.S. 931" court="SCOTUS" date_filed="1976-04-19" href="https://app.midpage.ai/document/sanders-v-georgia-109408?utm_source=webapp" opinion_id="109408">424 U. S. 931 (1976) (dissent from denial of certiorari).






Lead Opinion

Ct. App. Ga. Certio-rari denied.

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