The Obscenity Prosecution Task Force (OPTF) was an organization created in 2005 by the United States Department of Justice. The OPTF's job was to investigate and prosecute producers and distributors of hardcore pornography that meets the legal tests for obscenity, as defined by the Supreme Court of the United States. [1] [2] The group was led by U.S. Attorney Brent Ward. [3]
The task force was formed during the Presidency of George W. Bush to investigate hardcore pornography at the urging of social conservative groups. [4] [5] Notable cases were brought against Joseph R. Francis' Mantra Films, Inc. ( Girls Gone Wild), as well as producers Ira Isaacs, John Stagliano, and Max Hardcore. [6]
Eric Holder, Barack Obama's appointee for United States Attorney General, dissolved the task force in spring 2011, leaving obscenity prosecutions to the United States Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section. [7]
References
- ^ Staff report (November 21, 2005). An All-Out Assault On Sexual Content. BusinessWeek
- ^ Abramson, Larry (September 27, 2005). Federal Government Renews Effort to Curb Porn. Archived 2018-01-30 at the Wayback Machine Morning Edition, National Public Radio
- ^ Palazzolo, Joe (July 31, 2009), "Has the New Administration Gone Soft on Porn?", Main Justice, archived from the original on October 24, 2009, retrieved May 31, 2010
- ^ Glover, Scott (June 9, 2008). Upcoming trial will see hours of hard-core fetish pornography. Archived 2008-06-12 at the Wayback Machine Los Angeles Times
- ^ Kay, Julie (August 30, 2005). U.S. Attorney's Porn Fight Gets Bad Reviews. Archived 2005-10-25 at the Wayback Machine Daily Business Review
- ^ Gross, Grant (July 25, 2007). U.S. Man Faces Online Porn Charges. Archived 2008-06-17 at the Wayback Machine PC World
- ^ Gerstein, Josh (April 16, 2011). "Eric Holder accused of neglecting porn fight". Politico. Archived from the original on April 30, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
External links
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