STAUNTON, Va. – Following the first adult business to open its doors in Staunton, attorney Ray Robertson has vowed to present obscenity cases to a city grand jury with the help from concerned citizens and local authorities.
Robertson told The New Virginian he would not go after anyone for selling sex toys or publications such as Playboy magazine, but it looking for cases against “hard-core pornography.”
“I’ve heard a lot in the area about zoning regulations, but there are specific state laws dealing with obscenity. This office is charged with the responsibility of enforcing the criminal law. We do not make the law, nor do we choose which laws to enforce. We work tirelessly to go after every type of criminal and every type of crime.”
Adult-oriented businesses are protected by the Constitution and completely outlawing them is a violation of the First Amendment.
Robertson was a featured speaker at Staunton City Hall last month as city officials and anti-porn protestors gathered for a Stop Porn Forum organized by the Staunton Republican Committee.
Some legal experts predict that Robertson’s anti-porn crusade will be difficult, but may be more feasible within a more conservative state such Virginia.
“My sense, it would be incredibly difficult in Los Angeles, but in Virginia you might get a conviction,’’ William Araiza, associate dean of the Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, told the New Virginian.
