The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday appeared conflicted over whether a Texas law regulating adult entertainment websites infringes upon First Amendment free speech rights of adults seeking to access online pornography.
At issue is a 2023 Texas law requiring companies that operate websites where more than one-third of the material is harmful to minors to use “reasonable” age verification measures to ensure users are at least 18 years old. More than a dozen other states have passed similar laws, but Texas’ is the first to be looked at by the nation’s highest court. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision could determine the fate of other states’ laws and set new precedent on how the government can impose age-related content regulations.
[Pornhub suspends site in Texas due to state’s age-verification law] More than two hours of arguments on Wednesday concluded with a lawyer for adult entertainment websites contending that the internet is “free” and that it is incumbent upon parents, not websites, to screen out content inappropriate to their kids. Derek Shaffer, the attorney, also pointed out the particular features of Texas’ law compared to that of other states.
