The 2008 Federal Obscenity Conviction of Paul Little and What It Reveals About Obscenity Law and Prosecutions
The 2008 Federal Obscenity Conviction of Paul Little and What It Reveals About Obscenity Law and Prosecutions Robert D. Richards* and Clay Calvert** ABSTRACT This Article provides an inside perspective on the 2008 obscenity trial and conviction of veteran adult movie producer Paul Little, who is known in the adult industry as Max Hardcore. Little was sentenced by a federal judge to nearly four years in prison after a twelve-person jury in Tampa, Florida found him guilty of multiple counts of selling and distributing obscene content via the U.S. Mail and Internet. The Article centers around comments and remarks drawn from four exclusive interviews conducted in person by the authors with: (1) Jeffrey Douglas, the California-based attorney who represented and defended Paul Little in United States v. Little; (2) H. Louis Sirkin, the Ohio-based attorney who represented and defended the corporate entities controlled by Paul Little in United States v. Little; (3) Mark Kernes, Senior Editor of Adult Video News, a leading adult entertainment industry trade publication, and the journalist who covered the trial of Paul Little; and (4) Larry Flynt, the publisher of Hustler magazine and head of the LFP, Inc. adult entertainment * Distinguished Professor of Journalism & Law and Founding Co-Director of the Pennsylvania Center for the First Amendment, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA. J.D., The American University, 1987; M.A., Communication, The Pennsylvania State University, 1984; B.A., Communication, The Pennsylvania State University, 1983. Member, State Bar of Pennsylvania. The authors thank Thomas Markey and Patrick Hanifin of The Pennsylvania State University for reviewing an early draft of this Article.
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