LOS ANGELES - A LONG-AWAITED obscenity trial opened amid controversy on Wednesday after revelations that the top federal judge hearing the case had posted sexually explicit material on the Internet.

Judge Alex Kozinski told the Los Angeles Times he was unaware that photographs posted on his personal website could be viewed by the public and that he had removed the pictures.

Judge Kozinski, 57, was reported to have posted a photograph of nude women on all fours painted to look like cows, while a video on the site showed a semi-naked man cavorting with a sexually aroused farm animal.

The Times reported that he had blocked access to the site after being made aware that it could be viewed by the public.

He was quoted by the Times as saying he did not believe any of the images on the site qualified as obscene.

'Is it prurient? I don't know what to tell you,' he said. 'I think it's odd and interesting. It's part of life.'

Judge Kozinski, who is chief judge of the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, is widely viewed as a champion of free speech who once led a successful legal bid to remove filters that blocked access to Internet pornography on computers used by 9th Circuit staff.

He declined to comment when asked if he felt he should now excuse himself from hearing the trial of Ira Isaacs, a Los Angeles-based film-maker accused of selling criminally obscene sexual fetish videos depicting bestiality and defecation.

Isaccs, 57, faces up to 20 years in jail and fines of US$1 million (S$1.37 million) if convicted on multiple counts of importing or transporting obscene material for sale or distribution. -- AFP