Sen Lee Introduces Bill to Establish Obscenity Definition Across States
May 9, 2025
Sen Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced the Interstate Obscenity Definition Act to clarify the legal definition of “obscenity” for all states, making the transmission of obscene content across state lines more easily prosecuted. Rep Mary Miller (R-IL) is the bill’s co-lead in the House of Representatives. The Interstate Obscenity Definition Act:
- Defines “obscenity” within the Communications Act of 1934 as content that:
- taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest in nudity, sex, or excretion,
- depicts, describes, or represents actual or simulated sexual acts with the objective intent to arouse, titillate, or gratify the sexual desires of a person, and,
- taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.
- Strengthens the existing general prohibition on obscenity in the Communications Act by removing the “intent” requirement that only prohibits the transmission of obscenity for the purposes abusing, threatening, or harassing a person.
Lee Bill Establishes Obscenity Definition Across States S.1671 - A bill to define "obscenity" for purposes of the Communications Act of 1934, and for other purposes. H.R.3297 - To define "obscenity" for purposes of the Communications Act of 1934, and for other purposes.