Less than six hours before the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights and Property Rights was due to convene a hearing titled “Obscenity Prosecution of the First Amendment,” the hearing was abruptly cancelled for “logistical reasons,” according to a staffer in the office of Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), who was scheduled to preside.
“We intend to reschedule as soon as possible,” the staffer said.
The cancellation comes less than 48 hours after the Free Speech Coalition sent out a press release noting that the invitation-only hearing would include only three law professors as witnesses, at least two of whom have voiced strong conservative opinions regarding sexual and other free speech issues.
The Free Speech Coalition attempted to arrange for First Amendment attorneys with hands-on knowledge of the adult industry to testify at the hearing as well, but FSC Executive Director Michelle Freridge was unable to sway anyone on the Subcommittee to provide time for the adult attorneys to speak.
Some have speculated that either the FSC press release or the story about the hearing that appeared on AVN.com on Monday may have influenced Sen. Brownback’s office to reconsider its plans for the partisan hearing. Because of the postponement, the FSC will again attempt to offer witnesses who would provide more balance for the topic under discussion.
Keep watching AVN.com for future developments.
