Walter v. State
Walter v. State
Opinion of the Court
The defendant appeals from his conviction of violations of Code Ann. § 26-2101 (Ga. L. 1968, pp. 1249, 1302; 1971, p. 344). He was tried on a three-count accusation, was convicted on two counts, and received a sentence of 12 months on each count and a fine of $1,000 on each count.
On October 27, 1970, the State of Georgia, through the Fulton County District Attorney and the Fulton
After the trial by jury, the defendant was found not guilty on one count and guilty on the other two counts. Held:
1. Art. I, Sec. I, Par. VI of the Constitution of Georgia of 1945 (Code Ann. § 2-106) states, "No person shall be compelled to give testimony tending in any manner to criminate himself.” Code Ann. § 38-416 states that no person shall be compelled "to give evidence for or against himself.” (Emphasis supplied.)
In Marshall v. Riley, 7 Ga. 367, the plaintiff brought suit against the defendant on a promissory note, to which a special defense was made that the note was given for services rendered by the plaintiff as a practitioner of medicine; that he never was licensed by the Board of Physicians, established by the statute of the state, and was, therefore, not entitled to sue for and recover compensation for such services. Prior to trial, the defendant filed interrogatories for the plaintiff, which addressed themselves to the principal defense in the action. The plaintiff objected to answering the
In A Quantity of Books v. Kansas, 378 U. S. 205 (84 SC 1723, 12 LE2d 809), it was held that a warrant of seizure in which 1715 copies of a book were seized prior to a hearing on the issue of obscenity, was unconstitutional under the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution. This decision is predicated on the reasoning that "if seizure of books precedes an adversary determination of their obscenity, there is danger of abridgment of the right of the public in a free society to unobstructed circulation of nonobscene books.” P. 213. See also Central Agency, Inc. v. Slaton, Civil Action No. 13025, Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division, decided August 26, 1969; and Sherpix, Inc. v. Slaton, Civil Action No. 13024, Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division, decided September 2, 1969, holding that before a seizure of alleged obscene material could be made under Code Ann. § 26-2101, an adversary hearing on the question of obscenity must first be had. A similar result was reached by the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Metzger v. Pearcy, 393 F2d 202.
While the probable-cause hearing before the judge of superior court is a permissible procedure that may be utilized prior to the seizure of obscene materials, it is not
The exhibition of an obscene motion picture is a crime involving the welfare of the public at large, since it is contrary to the standards of decency and propriety of the community as a whole. Evans Theatre Corp. v. Slaton, 227 Ga. 377 (180 SE2d 712). In Slaton v. Paris Adult Theatre 1, 228 Ga. 343 (185 SE2d 768), the Supreme Court held that the films involved in that case were "hard core” pornography and that the commercial exhibition of such pictures is not protected by the First Amendment. The Supreme Court of the United States, which in effect affirmed the Paris case, supra, held that the states have a legitimate interest in regulating commerce in obscene material and its exhibition in places of public accommodation, including "adult” theaters; further holding that the exhibition of obscene material in such places of public accommodation is not protected by any constitutional doctrine of privacy, and that a commercial theater cannot be equated with a private home. See Jenkins v. State, 230 Ga. 726, 728 (199 SE2d 183).
Thus, it appears that we reach an impasse. The case law permits a probable-cause hearing prior to seizure. The defendant’s Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination must be scrupulously respected. In attempting to resolve the apparent dilemma, we return to the transcript of the hearing on the citation for contempt.
J. D. Spencer, a Fulton County Deputy Sheriff, testified that he went to the Classic Art Theater (the defendant’s place of business) to serve a copy of the order in the case of Lewis Slaton and Hinson McAuliffe v. William Walter, directing the seizure of the films "Zap” and "Innocent Nymph Part II,” but when he arrived, he saw Mrs. Walter, who told him that neither of the films was at the theater; that he did not see Mr. Walter; that Mrs. Walter said that Mr. Walter knew where the films were, but that she didn’t. On cross examination, it was developed that the deputy sheriff was directed to seize the films by search warrant, but that he did not search the premises and that the defendant was not present at the
We have no sympathy for the purveyors of filth. They represent an element of our society which feeds on the most base of human instincts. Earlier in the opinion, we quoted from Marshall v. Riley, 7 Ga. 367, regarding the common-law maxim, that no man is bound to accuse himself of any crime or to furnish any evidence to convict himself of a crime. The opinion further notes that, "' [t]his . . . is a maxim of the law, founded upon the principles of British freedom, and may be considered as one of our constitutional rights and privileges. It has been encroached upon in arbitrary reigns, and particularly while the Court of Star Chamber was in existence, of which the process and pleading were the same as in Chancery, but extended even to criminal informations, to which the party accused was obliged to answer on oath. This drew it into the greatest odium, and was the principal cause of its downfall.’” The foregoing quotation is not intended in the slightest way to equate the situation existing in the case sub judice and proceedings in the Court of Star Chamber. However, we do feel that the expression, coming from one of the original justices of our Supreme Court and one of Georgia’s most distinguished jurists, provides a timely reminder that the rights won by our ancestors which are so easily taken for granted today, must be zealously guarded and are subject to unwitting encroachment and erosion by the most benevolent among us for the most lofty of motives.
The judge of superior court had full authority to require the defendant to produce a print of each of the films at the initial probable-cause hearing (a civil action).
"The privilege against self-incrimination has been uniformly construed by the courts as giving the citizen protection as broad as that afforded by the common-law principle from which it is derived. State v. Davis, 108 Mo. 666 (18 SW 894, 32 Am. St. R. 640); Shields v. State, 104 Ala. 35 (16 S 85, 53 ASR 17). The constitutional guaranty protects one from being compelled to furnish evidence against himself, either in the form of oral confessions or incriminating admissions of an involuntary character, or of doing an act against his will which is incriminating in its nature. Day v. State, 63 Ga. 667; Blackwell v. State, 67 Ga. 76 (44 AR 717); Evans v. State, 106 Ga. 519 (32 SE 659, 71 ASR 276); Dozier v. State, 107 Ga. 708 (33 SE 418); Elder v. State, 143 Ga. 363 (85 SE 97).” Calhoun v. State, 144 Ga. 679, 680 (87 SE 893).
There is a vast difference between searching the premises of one suspected of crime and seizing any evidence of guilt, and compelling the person under suspicion to himself produce the evidence upon which he could be convicted. The criterion is, who furnished or produced the evidence? If the person suspected is made to produce the incriminating evidence, it is inadmissible. Evans v. State, 106 Ga. 519 (32 SE 659). But if his person or belongings are searched by another, pursuant to a valid search warrant or under circumstances showing the existence of probable cause, the evidence thus discovered may be used against him.
Nothing herein should be construed as in any way
The court erred in overruling the defendant’s pretrial motion to suppress, and further erred in overruling the defendant’s objection to the introduction of said evidence during the trial in violation of his Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination.
2. The remaining enumerations of error are not passed upon.
Judgment reversed.
Concurring Opinion
concurring specially.
1. In his dissenting opinion in the case of Good v. State, 127 Ga. App. 775, 781 (195 SE2d 264), Judge Pannell poses the question: "Does this mean there can be no conviction in the absence of such viewing by the jury, and that destruction of the obscene matter by the accused would prevent all prosecutions, even though the accused admits the exhibition of the matter described by the witnesses? As I construe it, that seems to be what the majority are holding and if they do so hold, they may be unwittingly granting a haven and refuge to the purveyors of filth. With this I cannot agree.” Presiding Judge Hall, now Justice Hall, in the majority opinion of that case answers: "We cannot conceive of how a jury could apply the Roth test to a film without having seen it, i.e., make
I concur in the judgment only because I do not find anything in the record indicating that the jury actually viewed the film, and we are therefore bound under Good, supra, to reverse.
2. In 1024 Peachtree Corporation, d/b/a Metro Theatre v. Slaton, 228 Ga. 102 (184 SE2d 144) the Supreme Court holds in a civil adversarial hearing that there was no merit in the enumeration of error to the effect that the show cause order requiring appellant to produce film for viewing amounted to self-incrimination, further stating, "We agree with the trial judge that a jury should now decide whether this film is obscene.” (Emphasis supplied.)
The court was not per se requiring appellant to produce the film in the normal sense; the court already had custody and possession of the film inasmuch as defendant was holding the film under injunction and court order. I would reverse only for the reasons outlined in Division 1.
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