New Jersey legal term
Obscene material in New Jersey Criminal Law
Current through 2026 New Jersey legislative session
In New Jersey criminal law, “Obscene material” is a term defined by statute rather than by its everyday meaning. Its statutory definition — quoted verbatim below — controls how the term is applied throughout the New Jersey criminal code.
What does “Obscene material” mean in New Jersey criminal law?
"Obscene material" means any description, narrative account, display, or depiction of sexual activity or anatomical area contained in, or consisting of, a picture or other representation, publication, sound recording, live performance, or film, which by means of posing, composition, format or animated sensual details: (a) Depicts or describes in a patently offensive way, ultimate sexual acts, normal or perverted, actual or simulated, masturbation, excretory functions, or lewd exhibition of the genitals, (b) Lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value, when taken as a who (N.J.S.A. 2C:34-2)
Statutes defining or using this term
Charges using this term
Related terms in the same statutes
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.