U.S. Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Ala. Sex Toy Ban Case

LAS VEGAS — Adult shop owner Sherri Williams has told XBIZ that the U.S. Supreme Court will not hear her case challenging Alabama's sex toy ban, ending an almost 10-year fight against the law.

The sale of adult toys is now been deemed officially illegal in the state, she said.

"The next step for me is they'll arrest me and put me in jail," Williams said, adding that each offense could bring her a year of hard labor.

"I guess [it] will be a very long time because I have probably 4,900 offenses in my store,' Williams said.

Williams said that in hopes to avoid being prosecuted to the full extent, she has decided to file another lawsuit challenging the validity of Alabama's ban on the sale of sex toys and will hire a 1st Amendment lawyer to do so.

Alabama law states that adult toys may be sold legally for medical, educational and artistic purposes — not for self-gratification — but the law also states that it is against the law to advertise them.

"How can you sell something you can't advertise?" Williams said.

Now Williams said she will wait to see if the state attorney general will decide to postpone prosecution while her new lawsuit is pending, or put her in jail and require she file the suit in prison.

"Because they gave absolutely no guidance whatsoever when they passed this law," Williams said, "now they have to scramble to figure out how to enforce it, and I don't foresee they'll be able to figure that out in the next 30 days."

Williams said she found out about the court's decision today at 9 a.m. and has called a press conference to relay the news while at the International Lingerie Show in the Rio Suites Hotel.

Williams first challenged the law in 1998, claiming it violated a slew of civil rights, and a year later it was found unconstitutional by a federal trial judge. However, an 11th Circuit panel said Alabama can police the sale of "any device designed or marketed as useful primarily for the stimulation of human genital organs."

A recent decision made by the 11th Circuit panel held that "public morality remains a legitimate rational basis for the challenged legislation," and once again deemed the ban constitutional.

Williams current attorneys, Roger Wilcox and Paul Cambria of New York law firm Lipsitz, Green, Scime, Cambria, were unavailable for comment at press time.

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

Strike 3 Holdings Sues Meta for Pirating Vixen Media Group Content to Train AI

Vixen Media Group owner Strike 3 Holdings filed suit in federal court this week, accusing Facebook parent company Meta of copyright infringement and alleging that Meta has extensively pirated VMG content to train its artificial intelligence models.

Full Circle Debuts New 'Cleo Feather' Vibe

Pleasure brand Full Circle has introduced its new Cleo Feather Tickler vibrator.

Pjur Launches 'Toy' Line in North America

Pjur has announced its Toy series of wellness products will be available for purchase in the U.S. starting in September.

Orion Expands Cottelli 'Costumes' Line

Orion Wholesale has introduced two new outfits from its Cottelli Costumes line.

Harry Styles' Lifestyle Brand Enters Sexual Wellness Space With 'Pleasing Yourself' Vibe, Lube

Pleasing, the lifestyle brand founded by Harry Styles, has launched its first sexual wellness product line, Pleasing Yourself, featuring a double-sided vibrator and a silicone lubricant.

Tenga Names Kyrie Hara Sales Lead

Japanese pleasure brand Tenga has appointed Kyrie Hara as its new sales lead for Tenga USA.

Electric Novelties Expands 'Together' Collection

Electric Novelties has introduced four new items from its Together collection.

Friday is Final AV Compliance Deadline in UK

Friday, July 25 marks U.K. media regulator Ofcom’s deadline for user-to-user services such as tube, cam and fan sites to implement its requisite “highly effective age assurance” measures for preventing minors from viewing adult content.

Motorbunny Debuts 'Grip' Stroker Attachment

Motorbunny has introduced its Grip stroker sleeve attachment for its sex machines.

SOS Distribution Names Jake Solorzano Account Executive

SOS Distribution has appointed Jake Solorzano as its new account executive.

Show More