Court Schedules Conference to Decide Status of Tennessee Age-Verification Law
The U.S. District Court of Tennessee will hold a telephone status conference on Wednesday to discuss the status of a state age-verification law that took effect Jan. 1, said Judge William Campbell.
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Tennessee passed HB-1891 to require social media companies to verify the age of account holders, and gain parental consent from users under the age of 18. In October, online business trade association NetChoice asked the court for a preliminary injunction against the bill with an order requested no later than Dec. 31. Hearing no response, NetChoice submitted a motion to determine the status of the law Jan. 2, citing risk of enforcement and harm.
“Though NetChoice is concerned that this Court didn’t grant it a preliminary injunction on December 31, NetChoice shouldn’t be surprised,” Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said in response on Friday. “It lobbied against the Act and knew that Tennessee passed it in May 2024. Yet it waited five months before filing this lawsuit, suing in October and demanding relief only one day before the law’s effective date. That delay -- as Tennessee argued in opposition and NetChoice never denied in reply -- defeats NetChoice’s claim to irreparable harm.”
Since the act has already gone into effect, Skrmetti said, there is no need for a preliminary injunction.