OCR Text |
Show Civil Liberties aid Obscenity suspects file counter suit BY LOUISE FOWLER Staff Writer The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit in the United States Third District Court on behalf of Victor Gordon and Paul Chananot charged with using obscene language in a University public meeting. They asked that the state's obscenity laws be declared unconstitutional. "Those charges were filed largely because of the hysteria of those who seek to punish expression of deep disaffection with American society so-ciety by seizing upon petty examples of bad taste," said William Lock-hart, Lock-hart, president of the American Civil Liberties Union Utah Affiliate. New trial date Previously, Gordon and Chananot pleaded not guilty to the charge and were arraigned in the U.S. District Court. A new trial date is set for May 29. Jerry Kinghorn, a cooperating attorney with the American Civil Liberties Unicn filed in federal courts a motion against continuation of the state criminal charges with the suit seeking an injunction against further prosecution. The suit contends that the irresponsible suppression, suppres-sion, rather than expressions of dissent, frustration and rage leads to violent revolution and that the law is in violation of the First Amendment Amend-ment designed to resolve disaffection by accommodation rather than revolution. "The obscenity law as it stands is unconstitutional because it restrains speakers from exercising their full constitutional rights of free spech," Lockhart said. Rubin appearance involved "Since the appearance of Jerry Rubin the state has been possessed with the unAmerican hysteria to charge that the citizens of Utah were endangered because of "four letter words," he said. "A wide latitude must be permitted for the public to express their dissatisfaction and to understand the depths of which public policy must meet and solve," contends Lockhart, "and these speakers are victims of a serious misunderstanding of our Constitutional foundations." The University speaker policy is still being prepared to cover off-campus off-campus speakers speaking on the University campus to an open community com-munity meeting. The University policy now states that if the public is not invited to the gathering and is somehow offended by what it hears, the University is not responsible and the blame lies with those not of the campus communty for attending a function uninvited. i |