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Images of naked Supreme Court justices has prompted Wal-Mart, the nation’s leading retailer, to ban the comedy book “America” from its stores.
But in a split decision of sorts, the company is still offering the work of Jon Stewart and his “Daily Show” colleagues on its website, Walmart.com.
“There’s a different audience in the stores and online,” Wal-Mart spokeswoman told USA Today. “We felt a majority of our customers would not be comfortable with the image” of the naked justices if it were available in its stores.
The page in contention in the pseudo civics textbook displays nine nude bodies, with the heads of the high court justices pasted on top.
Their black robes are on the opposite page, and readers are asked to restore their dignity by matching each jurist with a robe.
When asked about the photos, Warner Books spokesperson Jamie Raab told the paper, “I thought they were funny. … One reviewer called it ‘the most profound part of the book.’ I don’t know about that, but it makes some kind of comment: Who are these justices when they’re stripped of their robes? They’re just like all these other saggy people. … A robe doesn’t the man make – or the woman.”
Daily Show executive producer Ben Karlin acknowledged he was disappointed.
“We were hoping to be banned by a lot of mom-and-pop bookstores, but they keep selling the book.”
“America (The Book)” is a national hit, sitting at No. 1 on several best-seller lists including the New York Times and USA Today.
