Appeals Court Backs Sex Shop Crackdown

Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani scored another victory in his efforts to clean up the Big Apple when the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals said New York City could enforce a zoning law that would force many sex shops to close. The ruling lets the city enact its plan to break up the clusters of adult businesses that have dominated Times Square for years and to force porn theaters and nude clubs to leave residential areas. Lawyers for the businesses had argued that the law violated their clients’ 1st Amendment rights. The zoning law allows sex shops to operate only in areas designated for manufacturing and commercial use. The shops are prohibited from operating within 500 feet of one another and must stay at least 500 feet from houses, schools and churches.