Home > Great American Court Cases > New York v. Ferber

Legal Citation: 458 U.S. 747 (1982)

Petitioner
State of New York

Respondent
Paul Ira Ferber

Petitioner's Claim
That a state law restricting the sales and distribution of films and photographs containing children in sexually explicit scenes does not violate the First Amendment's protection of free speech.

Chief Lawyer for Petitioner
Robert M. Pitler

Chief Lawyer for Respondent
Harold Price Fahringer

Justices for the Court
Harry A. Blackmun, William J. Brennan, Jr., Warren E. Burger, Thurgood Marshall, Sandra Day O'Connor, Lewis F. Powell, Jr., William H. Rehnquist, John Paul Stevens, Byron R. White (writing for the Court)

Justices Dissenting
None

Place
Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision
2 July 1982

Decision
Upheld the state of New York's claim and...