Supreme Court of New Jersey

Adams Theatre Co., a Corporation of the State of Illinois, Plaintiff-Respondent v. John B. Keenan

April 27, 195312 N.J. 267

Summary

The New Jersey Supreme Court affirmed the trial court's judgment ordering issuance of a theater license, holding that the director's refusal was an arbitrary prior restraint unsupported by sufficient evidence. The Court emphasized First Amendment protection of theatrical expression and required concrete proof of lewdness before denying a license.