Court upholds Sandy Springs’ ban on sex toys
The federal appeals court in Atlanta has upheld Sandy Springs’ prohibition against adult entertainment establishments that want to sell sexual devices.
The city enacted the ordinance, which criminalizes the distribution of “obscene” sex toys, in 2009. A number of businesses then filed suit, seeking to strike down the ban on grounds it was unconstitutional.
In the litigation, the plaintiffs contended they have a fundamental right to engage in acts of private, consensual sexual intimacy.
But on Tuesday, in a unanimous decision, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it was bound by a ruling it issued in 2004 that rejected a similar challenge against an Alabama statute that prohibited the sale of sexual devices.
About the Author
Bill Rankin has been an AJC reporter for more than 30 years. His father, Jim Rankin, worked as an editor for the newspaper for 26 years, retiring in 1986. Bill has primarily covered the state’s court system, doing all he can do to keep the scales of justice on an even keel. Since 2015, he has been the host of the newspaper’s Breakdown podcast.
