In the case of Kingsley International Pictures Corp. v. Regents of the University of New York, 1958, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Kingsley International Pictures Corporation. The company had challenged a decision by the New York State Board of Regents to ban its film "Lady Chatterley's Lover" on grounds that it was obscene and would promote immoral behavior among viewers. The court held that banning a movie for promoting adultery violated First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and expression as long as it did not incite illegal action or disturb public peace directly. This ruling expanded First Amendment protections to include non-political expressions such as movies, setting an important precedent for future cases involving censorship in entertainment media.

In the dissenting opinion for Kingsley International Pictures Corp. v. Regents of the University of New York, Justice Frankfurter argued that states should have a right to regulate obscenity in films and other media as they see fit, without interference from federal courts. He believed that the majority's decision was an overreach of judicial power and undermined state sovereignty. Furthermore, he contended that it is not within the Court’s purview to determine what constitutes moral standards or decency in society; such determinations are better left to local communities who can best judge their own values and norms. In his view, by imposing a national standard on obscenity laws through this ruling, the Supreme Court was infringing upon states' rights to govern themselves according to their unique cultural contexts and community standards.