PITTSBURGH -- The Justice Department argued in federal court in Pittsburgh Wednesday for reinstatement of federal obscenity charges, which a judge dismissed against a California pornography business.

U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan said the case is not about banning all sexually explicit materials, just reining in obscenity. She argued Wednesday that no one has the right to send obscenity through the mail or Internet, though they can do what they want in their own homes.

Robert "Rob Black" Zicari and Janet "Lizzie Borden" Romano, both of Northridge, Calif., and their company, Extreme Associates, were charged in 2003 with distributing three videos to Pittsburgh through the mail and six images over the Internet.

In January, U.S. District Court Judge Gary Lancaster ruled obscenity statutes unconstitutional in the case.

Lancaster said prosecutors overstepped their bounds while trying to block the material from children and from adults who didn't want to see such material inadvertently.

Lancaster also found that the state can't ban material simply because it finds it objectionable, based on the U.S. Supreme Court's June 2003 ruling that struck down a state ban on gay sex.

Previous Stories:
February 16, 2005: Government Targets 'Extreme' Porn Couple
August 27, 2003: Hollywood Porn Couple Arraigned Downtown