New York v. P.J. Video, Inc

In New York v. P.J. Video, Inc., 475 U.S. 868, 106 S. Ct. 1610, 89 L. Ed. 2d 871 (1986) P.J. Video complained that the judge issuing the warrant to seize copies of their films did not have probable cause to believe that the movies were obscene. 475 U.S. at 869-70. The judge did not view the movies but issued the warrant on the basis of affidavits executed by an investigator who did view the works. Id. at 870. The information contained on each affidavit went only marginally further than the kind of comments made on the audiotape of the police officer in this case. See 475 U.S. at 878-84. The Supreme Court found that the affidavits contained more than enough information to support a conclusion that the movies satisfied all three elements of the definition of obscenity, even the third one regarding literary, artistic, political, and scientific value, and hence that the warrant was supported by probable cause. 475 U.S. at 876-77.