POP/ROCK - Nov. 3, 1992

Upholding Free Speech: A Superior Court judge in Washington state’s King County has struck down a 5-month-old anti-erotic music statute on the grounds that the law was vague and violated free speech provisions of the First Amendment. The legislation, which banned the sale of sexually explicit records to minors, was opposed by such Seattle rock groups as Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. The ruling comes as the result of a lawsuit filed in June by the Washington Music Industry Coalition in conjunction with the American Civil Liberties Union and the Recording Industry Assn. of America.