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'Pa—-Censor_ Case | Refused Review By Supreme Court WASHINGTON. The U. S. Supreme Court has refused to review i Pratt a ten aern tha aA € #hn Ge GIRLIE WPL RL . aod federal constitutions by the Court of — Common Pleas, a decision upheld by the State Supreme Court. The state asked the : U.S. high court to review the decision, argu- ing that other courts in other districts would be influenced by the reasoning of the state high court. a er ea re | . But, motion picture people argued that i the Pennsylvania courts had declared the . ct invalid under the laws of Pennsylvani d that it was not necessary, therefore, t nsider federal questions. The Suprem ourt, in refusing to review the decisio { Zave no reasons, as ig usual in such cas ; The effect is to permit decisions to stand without providing legal precedents such as | actual Supreme Court decisions do. The voided act sought to set up a three- ‘ tan board which would have had the power to ban films outright or to prescribe them for showing only to patrons 17 or older. Films being shown in Pennsylvania for the first time would have had to have been submitted 48 hours before showing. Exhibi- tors would have beaa required to register with a fee. The Dauphin County court found the act unconstitutional in that it restricted freedom of expression and communication and es- tablished prior restraint. It said standatds were vague and indefinite, procedural and judicial safeguards were jacking and films were singled cut from among other media. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court agreed with all this and found the registration fee to be a “tax upon free speech.” The court’s refusal to review the law was looked upon by the Catholic Standard.& ' Peres—Ee bringing an end to the “public a Pennsylvania Supreme Court which voided © the stategA¢hew cengorship-classification law. Thg#ennsylvania Motion Picture Control; - | ActAvas held to be void both under state+ : “hollow” victory and called the people of’ ee oe ORO ; . oo er Bir. Suiijivan. demand that there be controls of sqmc hind : t Mr. Tavel emcmrovies in Pennsylyania.” The chal | Mr. Trotter. organ of the Catholic diocese in Philadel- phia, in an editoral, called the decision a, Pennsylvania “ihe losers.” The editorial . stated that the law was knocked down “not. . |. before the strong demands of constitutional! , law, but rather before the strong and un- Yeasaning demands that censorship of every bye } ! A fo|\ * « New York, “ew York You. 18, 1961 Page S$ - NOT RECORDED 149 NOV 30 1961 emg a Tele. Room Mr. Ingram__... Miss Gandy—__ * at Independent Fila Journal g? GAgBeeoh