U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder (Photo courtesy Department of Justice)

The task force, which was created under the George W. Bush administration to prosecute adult pornography cases, has been criticized for its lack of effectiveness, having tried only a handful of cases since its creation six years ago.

Department of Justice officials say that obscenity is best tried by U.S. Attorneys’ offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.

The decision to disband the task force has angered some conservative members of Congress, who argue that the Obama administration is being soft on porn.

“Attorney General Holder told the Judiciary Committee last year that this task force was the centerpiece of the strategy to combat adult obscenity,” Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) told Politico Friday. “Rather than initiate a single new case since President Obama took office, however, the only development in this area has been the dismantling of the task force. As the toxic waste of obscenity continues to spread and harm everyone it touches, it appears the Obama administration is giving up without a fight.”

Conservatives and activists are pushing for a tougher stance on hard-core adult pornography despite the fact that obscenity cases involving porn are notoriously hard to try.

The core issue surrounding obscenity cases and pornography is the right to free speech, because many in the adult industry argue that they have the right to express themselves under the First Amendment.

“It’s a very smart and pragmatic move on the part of the administration,” said Diane Duke from the Free Speech Coalition, a group representing businesses in the adult entertainment industry. “It was a witch hunt against folks in the industry, and it wasn’t one that was particularly successful. … It just seems like, finally, the Department of Justice has caught up with the rest of the nation.”

Politico reports:

The recently disbanded unit was created by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in 2005 amid complaints from social conservatives that Justice was almost never pursuing adult obscenity cases. Given limited resources and staff time, prosecutors consistently prioritized child pornography cases over adult materials. The new task force was established to ensure that the feds were prosecuting at least some obscenity cases.