Obscenity Prosecutions Should Be Expanded, Hatch Says

WASHINGTON — Sen. Orrin Hatch went on the offensive against commercial pornography at a Justice Committee hearing Wednesday and said the government should step in and expand obscenity prosecutions.

Hatch grilled U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who gave witness testimony over some of the initiatives his department has been working on at a hearing titled "Oversight of the U.S. Department of Justice."

Nowhere in Holder's address to committee members, however, were the words "adult entertainment" or "porn." And that spurred Hatch to focus his energies on adult entertainment. "This particular type of material may virtually guarantee a conviction but it is not the most widely produced and consumed and therefore its prosecution may have very little impact on the obscenity industry."

In the faceoff with Holder, Hatch further said that for years the Justice Department has taken "a misguided and narrow approach to law enforcement" in prosecuting adult companies.

Holder countered that the agency's focus chiefly has been on protecting children.

"We will certainly enforce the laws with the limited resources that we have and go after those cases that I think — as we always do — have the potential for the greatest harm," Holder said.

Diane Duke, the Free Speech Coalition's executive director, told XBIZ Holder's focus on child abuse and child obscenity "is well placed, protecting children from real threats."

"The adult entertainment industry works with a number agencies to assure that filters are in place and easily accessible to filter adult content from minors," she said.

Duke also noted that decisions for obscenity prosecutions might be shifting as porn slowly migrates into mainstream society's cultural appetite.

"Prosecutors are less enthusiastic about prosecuting for obscenity because they realize that our society is becoming more supportive of adults rights to be adults and to access adult materials," she said.

The Justice Department's Obscenity Prosecution Task Force has prosecuted 14 cases since 2005.

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Hookup Hotshot Adds TobyDick.com

Hookup Hotshot (HUHS) has added U.K. paysite TobyDick.com to its network.

FSC: Age-Verification Laws Go Into Effect South Dakota, Georgia, Wyoming on July 1

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has published a statement regarding new age verification laws set to go into effect tomorrow in South Dakota, Georgia, and Wyoming.

TTS Opens UK Testing Location

Talent Testing Service (TTS) has opened a new U.K. location in Ware, Hertfordshire.

Leana Lovings, Shay Sights Front 'Substance' Parody From Brazzers

Leana Lovings stars with Shay Sights in the latest release from Brazzers, a parody of "The Substance.”

FSC Responds to Supreme Court Decision on Texas AV Law

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has released a statement responding to last week's Supreme Court decision on FSC v. Paxton, the Texas age verification law.

Sex Work CEO Debuts Upgraded 'GPTease' AI Assistant

Sex Work CEO has introduced the new Canvas in-chat editing feature to its AI-powered, NSFW text generator, GPTease.

Little Puck Stars in Latest Episode of 'The Bottom Floor' From Adult Time

Little Puck stars in the second episode of Adult Time series “The Bottom Floor,” titled “The Second Coming.”

Haley Spades Stars in Latest From Immoral

Haley Spades stars with Charlie Dean, Matt Bird, and Dean Van Damme in a new three-part release from Immoral Productions, directed by "Porno Dan" Leal.

Octavia Red Makes Her Vampired Debut

Octavia Red has made her Vampired debut alongside Talia Mint and 2023 XMA Europas Female Performer of the Year Tiffany Tatum in the new feature “Hunters.”

Lily Starfire Fronts Latest From Brazzers

Lily Starfire stars with Kyle Mason in the latest release from Brazzers, titled "Eating Ass Is the Game."

Show More