A federal appeals court rejected the Clinton administration's interpretation of a child pornography law and reaffirmed the conviction of a man who bought mail-order videos showing girls' clothed genital areas.
The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously Thursday that to qualify as obscene, material doesn't have to contain nudity. Rather, it need only depict behavior that appeals to the lascivious interests of the intended audience.Stephen A. Knox was convicted in 1991 and given five years in prison for possessing three tapes showing girls spreading their legs and mocking sexual relations. The girls wore opaque bathing suits, leotards or underwear, but the camera focused on their genital areas.
Knox appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, saying he couldn't be convicted because the girls were clothed.