The ruling allows the state to require adult content sites to verify user age and endorsed state authority to shield minors from explicit material.
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a Texas law week that requires websites with significant adult content to verify users are at least 18 years old. The law mandates age verification for sites where over one-third of content is deemed harmful to minors.
Adult entertainment companies challenged the law, arguing it infringes on free speech and raises privacy risks such as identity theft. However, the majority of justices found the law falls within state authority to protect children without directly restricting adult access.
Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the majority opinion, which stated, “To the extent that it burdens adults’ rights to access such speech, it has ‘only an incidental effect on protected speech,’ making it subject to intermediate scrutiny.”
Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, calling for stricter scrutiny due to potential impacts on adults’ rights.
A lower court initially blocked enforcement of the law, citing concerns over user privacy and referencing a similar law deemed likely unconstitutional in 2004. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit later allowed the law to take effect, which the Supreme Court upheld.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For the justices of the Supreme Court as they decide with cases they will hear in the fall term.
- For federal judges as they issue decisions in cases challenging state authority.
- For wisdom for state attorneys general and legislators as they craft and enforce laws.
Sources: CBN News, Fox News, CNN
