Los Angeles porn actors must wear condoms, appeals court rules

BY DANIEL WALLIS
Mon Dec 15, 2014 3:16pm EST

(Reuters) - A regional U.S. federal appeals court ruled on Monday that pornographic movie actors in Los Angeles must wear condoms during sex scenes, upholding a lower court decision that was challenged by the adult film industry.

In 2012, voters in Los Angeles County approved a measure to require condom use during sex scenes in pornographic movies, as well as the regular testing of actors for sexually transmitted diseases.

Lawyers for the industry challenged the regulations in U.S. District Court, arguing that the condom requirement went against their clients' right to freedom of expression under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

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A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the requirement on Monday, saying it was narrowly tailored to achieve the County's interest of reducing the rate of sexually transmitted infections while also leaving open "adequate alternative means of expression."

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