Barnes v. Glen Theatre, Inc.

Barnes v. Glen Theatre, Inc.
Argued January 8, 1991
Decided June 21, 1991
Full case nameMichael Barnes, prosecuting attorney of St. Joseph County Indiana, et al. v. Glen Theatre, Inc., et al.
Citations501 U.S. 560 (more)
111 S. Ct. 2456; 115 L. Ed. 2d 504; 1991 U.S. LEXIS 3633; 59 U.S.L.W. 4745; 91 Cal. Daily Op. Service 4731; 91 Daily Journal DAR 7362
Case history
PriorGlen Theatre, Inc. v. Pearson, 802 F.2d 287 (7th Cir. 1986); on remand, Glen Theatre, Inc. v. Civil City of South Bend, 695 F. Supp. 414 (N.D. Ind. 1988); reversed, Miller v. Civil City of South Bend, 887 F.2d 826 (7th Cir. 1989); on rehearing en banc, 904 F.2d 1081 (7th Cir. 1990); cert. granted, 498 U.S. 807 (1990).
Holding
States have the authority and right to regulate and/or ban nudity, as it is in the interests of both the government and society to preserve morality by statute. Nudity is not protected under the First Amendment, nor expressive content.
Court membership
Chief Justice
William Rehnquist
Associate Justices
Byron White · Thurgood Marshall
Harry Blackmun · John P. Stevens
Sandra Day O'Connor · Antonin Scalia
Anthony Kennedy · David Souter
Case opinions
PluralityRehnquist, joined by O'Connor, Kennedy
ConcurrenceScalia
ConcurrenceSouter
DissentWhite, joined by Marshall, Blackmun, Stevens
Laws applied
U.S. Const. amend. I

Barnes v. Glen Theatre, Inc., 501 U.S. 560 (1991), was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court concerning the First Amendment and the ability of the government to outlaw certain forms of expressive conduct. It ruled that the state has the constitutional authority to ban public nudity, even as part of expressive conduct such as dancing, because it furthers a substantial government interest in protecting the morality and order of society.[1] This case is perhaps best summarized by a sentence in Justice Souter's concurring opinion, which is often paraphrased as "Nudity itself is not inherently expressive conduct."

Background

Two businesses—the Kitty Kat Lounge, Inc. and Glen Theatre, Inc.—operated adult entertainment establishments in South Bend, Indiana. The Kitty Kat was a club that sold alcoholic beverages in addition to employing female exotic dancers to entertain its patrons. Glen Theatre was primarily in the business of selling adult entertainment materials, such as magazines and videos, and had an enclosed "bookstore" area where customers could insert coins into a machine which would allow them to view live female exotic dancers. Both businesses sought to include fully nude dancers to their entertainment lineup, but were prevented by an Indiana statute regulating "indecent behavior".

Specifically, the statute read that dancers must wear, at a minimum, pasties and G-strings to provide basic coverage of the dancers' bodies. As this law necessarily prevented complete nudity in businesses open to the public, Kitty Kat and Glen Theatre were legally unable to offer nude dancing, prompting them to file suit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana on First Amendment grounds. The respondents, represented by Patrick Baude, professor at Indiana University School of Law – Bloomington, argued that the prohibition of complete nudity in public places was unconstitutionally overbroad. The District Court granted an injunction, against enforcement of the indecency statute.

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the District Court's decision based on prior suit in the Indiana Supreme Court as well as the United States Supreme Court that denied the respondents' the ability to pursue relief with their current constitutional argument. The case was remanded to District Court, allowing the businesses to argue against the statute as it applied to the proposed dancing rather than claiming constitutional overbreadth.[2]

The District Court, upon remand, declared that the dancing was not constitutionally protected speech,[3] and the businesses appealed to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, which reversed the District Court's ruling. The opinions authored by the judges on the Seventh Circuit's panel accepted the argument that the statute in question unduly infringed on freedom of expression; in this case, the message of "eroticism and sexuality" that the dancers were meant to convey.[4]

The Supreme Court granted certiorari[5] and heard oral arguments on January 8, 1991.

Opinion of the Court

On June 21, 1991, Chief Justice Rehnquist delivered the judgment of the Court, joined by Justices O'Connor and Kennedy. Justices Scalia and Souter authored their own concurring opinions, agreeing with the majority ruling but for different reasons.

The plurality reasoned that, indeed, the type of dancing the respondents sought to include in their businesses was expressive conduct under the First Amendment, albeit "only marginally so". While the plurality ceded this point, it went on to decide how much constitutional protection the conduct warranted, and whether the statute at hand was, in fact, an unacceptable infringement on the freedom of expression.

In determining the type of protection, the plurality turned to the "time, place, or manner" test as implemented in United States v. O'Brien (1968),[6] the four-pronged "O'Brien Test". The plurality found that enacting this sort of legislation was clearly within the constitutional authority of the state, and that the statute furthered a substantial government interest. To understand the legislative intent behind the creation of the statute, the plurality turned to the history of indecency law, noting an expansive history and breadth of adoption for such legislation. Considering available precedent from cases such as Roth v. United States (1957)[7] and Bowers v. Hardwick (1986),[8] the plurality concluded that the statute furthered a government interest in order and morality.

With regards to the third part of the O'Brien Test, the plurality stated that the statute was not related to suppressing expression. The statute did not prohibit nude dancing alone, but rather all nudity in public places. While it may be in some manner "expressive" for a person to appear naked in public, the plurality determined that basically any conduct anyone engages in at any time can be considered "expressive", so merely being expressive is not enough to bring such an argument. To provide support for the logical foundations of this finding, the plurality said,

The requirement that the dancers don pasties and a G-string does not deprive the dance of whatever erotic message it conveys; it simply makes the message slightly less graphic. The perceived evil that Indiana seeks to address is not erotic dancing, but public nudity. The appearance of people of all shapes, sizes and ages in the nude at a beach, for example, would convey little if any erotic message, yet the state still seeks to prevent it. Public nudity is the evil the state seeks to prevent, whether or not it is combined with expressive activity.

As to the final point of the O'Brien test, the plurality contended that the statute was narrowly tailored to achieve the government interest it sought to promote. Indiana's statute was not intended as a clandestine attempt at silencing the potentially expressive conduct of a person dancing in the nude; it was "an end in itself", designed to codify the societal disapproval of nude strangers in public. Even though, as the respondents contended, the patrons in their establishments are all of legal age and all willing to see the prohibited nudity, the fact remains that, for the purposes of the constitutional question at hand, the statute was not needlessly restrictive.

In closing, the plurality reversed the ruling of the Court of Appeals. In effect, this ruling determined that it was not unconstitutional for a state to enact legislation forbidding public nudity outright, particularly if the only requirement for a person to no longer be considered "nude" was wearing some of the most revealing possible clothing.

Scalia's concurrence

Justice Scalia agreed with the plurality's overall finding, i.e. that the Appeals Court's decision must be reversed. However, he differed from the plurality by arguing that the Indiana statute did not regulate any kind of expression, merely conduct. As such, Justice Scalia believed, it was inappropriate to apply First Amendment scrutiny to the statute in the first place. Justice Scalia took a more formalistic approach to constitutional interpretation than his benchmates by looking at the text of the statute itself and, seeing no reference express or implied to the limitation of any form of expression, deciding that there can be no First Amendment question present at all. Language he used later in his opinion demonstrates the originalist views that characterized Justice Scalia's tenure on the bench.

Souter's concurrence

Justice Souter also agreed with the plurality opinion's conclusion, but wanted to elaborate further his own reasons for this agreement. In his concurrence, Justice Souter's well-known sentence, "Although such performance dancing is inherently expressive, nudity per se is not", outlines his general purpose. He states that nudity is not inherently expressive because it is merely a state, not an act. He differs from Justice Scalia by agreeing with both the plurality and the dissent that, because the state of nudity can enhance the expressive eroticism of a dance, nude dancing must be afforded some constitutional protection. He agrees in large part with the dissent, but differs by saying that the negative secondary effects (such as prostitution, violence, etc.) that the state may wish to control with such a ban are correlated only to the presence of establishments offering nude dancing, rather than the expression conveyed in the dance. In the closing of his opinion, Justice Souter notes that the establishments are perfectly free to convey their erotic message in any other way short of violating obscenity laws. To this effect, he notes in closing that "a pornographic movie featuring one of respondents ... was playing nearby without any interference from the authorities at the time these cases arose".

Dissent

Justice White authored the dissent, joined by Justices Marshall, Blackmun and Stevens. In noting his disagreement with the other Justices, Justice White argues that the third part of the O'Brien test (requiring that the law be unrelated to the suppression of free expression) is not satisfied. In pursuing legitimate government interests, the statute in place restricts conduct – nudity – that is integral to the expressive nature of the act. Citing Schad v. Borough of Mt. Ephraim (1981),[9] the dissent remarks that the condition of human nakedness in and of itself does not transform otherwise protected speech into unprotected speech. Justice White argues that it is precisely because of the heightened expressive impact that the state chooses to forbid public nudity, because the state desires to control the negative secondary effects such as prostitution and degradation of women. Because nudity is an essential part of the potency of the expression in question, the law unconstitutionally restricts that expression.

  • In 2013, the Elevator Repair Service theater company produced Arguendo, a theatrical reenactment of the Supreme Court arguments in this case. Its script follows the audio recordings verbatim, but its choreography incorporates elements of dance. In the play, Bruce Ennis, attorney for the dancers, eventually becomes nude. Created and directed by John Collins, the play was well received in New York and Washington, D.C.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ Barnes v. Glen Theatre, Inc., 501 U.S. 560 (1991). Public domain This article incorporates public domain material from this U.S government document.
  2. ^ Glen Theatre, Inc. v. Pearson, 802 F.2d 287, 288-290 (7th Cir. 1986).
  3. ^ Glen Theatre, Inc. v. Civil City of South Bend, 695 F. Supp. 414, 419 (N.D. Ind. 1988).
  4. ^ Miller v. Civil City of South Bend, 887 F.2d 826 (7th Cir. 1989); on rehearing en banc, 904 F.2d 1081 (7th Cir. 1990).
  5. ^ 498 U.S. 807 (1990).
  6. ^ United States v. O'Brien, 391 U.S. 367 (1968).
  7. ^ Roth v. United States, 354 U.S. 476 (1957).
  8. ^ Bowers v. Hardwick, 478 U.S. 186 (1986).
  9. ^ Schad v. Borough of Mt. Ephraim, 452 U.S. 61 (1981).
  10. ^ Brantley, Ben (September 24, 2013). "Full-Frontal Justice, a Matter of Redress; 'Arguendo' by Elevator Repair Service at the Public Theater". New York Times. pp. C–1. Retrieved April 19, 2014.

Read other articles:

Isabelle Huppert Isabelle Anne Huppert (izabɛl yˈpɛʀ; lahir 16 Maret 1955) merupakan seorang aktris berkebangsaan Prancis. Dia bertempat tinggal di Ville d'Avray, pinggiran barat Paris. Dia berkarier di dunia film sejak tahun 1972. Filmografi Faustine et le bel été (1972) César et Rosalie (1972) Les Valseuses (1974) The Judge and the Assassin (1976) Docteur Françoise Gailland (1976) La Dentellière (1977) Violette Nozière (1978) Sauve qui peut (la vie) (1979) Loulou (1980) Heaven's G...

 

Este artículo trata sobre el duque de Saboya (1553-1580). Para otros de igual nombre, véanse Manuel Filiberto de Saboya (virrey de Sicilia), Manuel Filiberto de Saboya-Aosta y Manuel Filiberto de Saboya (1972). Manuel Filiberto de Saboya Duque de Saboya Manuel Filiberto de Saboya. Obra de Juan Pantoja de la Cruz.Reinado 1553-1580Predecesor Carlos IIISucesor Carlos Manuel IGobernador de los Países Bajos 1555-1559Predecesor María de AustriaSucesor Margarita de ParmaInformación personal...

 

Artikel ini tidak memiliki referensi atau sumber tepercaya sehingga isinya tidak bisa dipastikan. Tolong bantu perbaiki artikel ini dengan menambahkan referensi yang layak. Tulisan tanpa sumber dapat dipertanyakan dan dihapus sewaktu-waktu.Cari sumber: Ekonomi Jibuti – berita · surat kabar · buku · cendekiawan · JSTOR Perekonomian di Jibuti banyak ditopang oleh jasa pelabuhan serta penyewaan tanah bagi markas besar pasukan asing. Guna memperbaiki perek...

Le Courrier d'OrientFormatN/AOwner(s)Maxime RaybaudFounded1828LanguageFrenchCeased publication1829HeadquartersPatras, Greece Le Courrier d'Orient (Courier of Orient) was a French language newspaper that was published in Greece, first in Patras then in Aegina. It was published between 1828 and 1829 during the final years of the Greek War of Independence by Lieutenant-colonel Maxime Raybaud,[1][2][3][4] a French philhellene who served in the expeditionary corps o...

 

Composition by Steve Reich Performance of Double Sextet in Russia Double Sextet is a composition by Steve Reich scored for two sextets of flute, clarinet, violin, cello, vibraphone and piano.[1] It won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Music,[2] the first for the composer.[3] With funds from the Carnegie Hall Corporation, The Abe Fortas Memorial Fund of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Liverpool Culture Company – European Capital of Culture 2008, The Mod...

 

Maldivian Air Taxi IATA ICAO Kode panggil MV MAT AIR-TAXI Didirikan4 November 1993Berhenti beroperasi2013 (terintegrasi ke dalam Trans Maldivian Airways)PenghubungBandar Udara Internasional Ibrahim NasirArmada20Tujuan52SloganA Unique ExperienceKantor pusatMaléTokoh utamaLars Erik Nielsen (Pendiri dan Ketua Dewan)Situs webhttp://www.maldivianairtaxi.com Maldivian Air Taxi adalah maskapai domestik terbesar di Maladewa dan juga operator pesawat amfibi terbesar di dunia dengan lebih dari 500 pen...

正義聯盟:兩面夾擊Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths藍光碟封面基本资料导演勞倫·蒙哥馬利山姆·劉监制布鲁斯·蒂姆编剧Dwayne McDuffie原著DC漫畫主演威廉·鮑德溫馬克·漢蒙克里斯·諾斯姬娜·托莉絲詹姆斯·伍德布魯斯·戴維森喬希·基頓配乐詹姆斯·L·維納布爾克里斯托弗·德雷克制片商華納兄弟動畫華納首映DC漫畫片长75分鐘语言英語上映及发行上映日期 2010年2月23日 (2010-02-...

 

Citizen KanePosterSutradara Orson Welles Produser Orson Welles Richard Baer (kolega) Ditulis oleh Orson Welles Herman J. Mankiewicz PemeranOrson WellesJoseph CottenRuth WarrickEverett SloaneGeorge CoulourisRay CollinsAgnes MooreheadDistributorRKO Radio Pictures (teatrikal)Paramount Pictures (peluncuran kembali 1991)Warner Bros. (DVD)Tanggal rilis1 Mei 1941Durasi119Negara Amerika Serikat Bahasa Inggris Anggaran$686,033 (perkiraan)IMDbInformasi di IMDb Citizen Kane adalah film tahun 1941, dibin...

 

Swedish ice hockey player Not to be confused with Adam Larsson (footballer). Ice hockey player Adam Larsson Larsson with the Seattle Kraken in 2023Born (1992-11-12) 12 November 1992 (age 31)Skellefteå, SwedenHeight 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)Weight 215 lb (98 kg; 15 st 5 lb)Position DefenceShoots RightNHL teamFormer teams Seattle KrakenSkellefteå AIKNew Jersey DevilsEdmonton OilersNational team  SwedenNHL Draft 4th overall, 2011New Jersey DevilsPlaying ca...

Latin expression – by one's own hand This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Manu propria – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (April 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Example of medieval manu propria Jodoc Pein mppria in the Certificate of Nobility for André Falq...

 

Olympic sport Road raceat the Olympic GamesThe first road race winner, Aristidis Konstantinidis, in 1896OverviewSportCyclingGenderMen and womenYears heldMen: 1896, 1936–2020 Women: 1984–2020Reigning championMen Richard Carapaz (ECU)Women Anna Kiesenhofer (AUT) The road race is one of two road bicycle racing events held at the Summer Olympics, the other being the time trial. The road race is a mass start, distinguished from the separate starts of the time trial. The men...

 

Dessert made of banana For the ice cream dessert, see Banana split. For other uses, see Banana boat (disambiguation). This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Banana boat food – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (November 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Banana...

1960 Indian filmRunanubandhamTheatrical release posterDirected byVedantam RaghavayyaScreenplay byVedantam RaghavayyaStory byAcharya AatreyaProduced byP. Adinarayana RaoStarringAkkineni Nageswara RaoAnjali DeviCinematographyC. Nageswara RaoEdited byN. S. PrakasamMusic byP. Adinarayana RaoProductioncompanyAnjali Pictures[1]Distributed byEast India ReleaseRelease date 7 December 1960 (1960-12-07) Running time163 minutesCountryIndiaLanguageTelugu Runanubandham (transl.̴...

 

Fictional Bengali character This article is an orphan, as no other articles link to it. Please introduce links to this page from related articles; try the Find link tool for suggestions. (August 2016) Haridas Pal (Bengali: হরিদাস পাল) is fictional Bengali character known for his greatness, stature and grandeur. He is a person who is highly respected in the society for his noble thoughts and deeds and therefore commands authority over the mass. Any such highly influential per...

 

Temperature distribution in a thermal bridge This thermal image shows a thermal bridging of a high-rise building (Aqua in Chicago)A thermal bridge, also called a cold bridge, heat bridge, or thermal bypass, is an area or component of an object which has higher thermal conductivity than the surrounding materials,[1] creating a path of least resistance for heat transfer.[2] Thermal bridges result in an overall reduction in thermal resistance of the object. The term is frequently...

A Twenty20 International (T20I) is a form of cricket, played between two of the international members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), in which each team faces a maximum of twenty overs. The matches have top-class status and are the highest T20 standard. The game is played under the rules of Twenty20 cricket.[1][2] The first Twenty20 International match between two men's sides was played on 17 February 2005, involving Pakistan and New Zealand. Wisden Cricketers' Alm...

 

Red Bull RB13 Max Verstappen pilotando el RB13 en el Gran Premio de Malasia de 2017Categoría Fórmula 1Constructor Red Bull RacingDiseñador(es) Adrian NeweyPredecesor Red Bull RB12Sucesor Red Bull RB14Especificaciones técnicasNombre motor Cilindrada Configuración Turbo/NA TAG Heuer (Renault) R.E.171.6 LV6TurboCaja de cambios Marchas secuencial8 velocidades más reversaCombustible EssoNeumáticos P PirelliPeso 782 kg (Sin conductor, con combustible)PalmarésEquipo(s) Re...

 

Lanskap Berkelanjutan, FWBG Lanskap berkelanjutan adalah berbagai praktik di bidang studi lanskap yang telah dikembangkan sebagai tanggapan terhadap isu-isu lingkungan.[1][2] Praktik ini digunakan dalam setiap fase lanskap, termasuk desain, konstruksi, implementasi dan pengelolaan lanskap perumahan dan komersial.[1] Hal ini meliputi isu-isu sebagai berikut: Perubahan Iklim Global (Global Climate Change); Polusi Udara (Air Pollution); Polusi Air (Water Pollution); Konse...

NED Thuistenue Uittenue Speciaal thuis Speciaal uit Nederland was een van de deelnemende landen aan het wereldkampioenschap voetbal 2010 in Zuid-Afrika. Het was de negende deelname van het land. Bij de vorige editie in 2006 strandde het Nederlands elftal in de achtste finale. Nederland reikte tot de finale van het WK 2010. Deze werd met 1-0 verloren van Spanje. Kwalificatie Als lid van de UEFA speelde Nederland zijn wedstrijden in de laatste van de negen kwalificatiegroepen. Ieder land ontmoe...

 

This article possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. (July 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) An engraved ticket for Francis Noble's circulating library in London from some time after mid-century. Augustan prose is somewhat ill-defined, as the definition of Augustan relies primarily upon changes in taste in poetry. However, the ge...

 

Strategi Solo vs Squad di Free Fire: Cara Menang Mudah!