U.S. Supreme Court Allows Texas Law Requiring Age Verification for Porn Sites
In a 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday upheld a Texas law requiring age verification for access to porn sites. The ruling sided with Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) in support of the state's HB-1181, which the Free Speech Coalition, an adult industry trade association, challenged in a 2023 lawsuit, saying it violated the First Amendment (see 2409170012).
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"Age-verification laws like H. B. 1181 fall within States’ authority to shield children from sexually explicit content," said Justice Clarence Thomas, who wrote the majority opinion. "The First Amendment leaves undisturbed States’ traditional power to prevent minors from accessing speech that is obscene from their perspective. ...
"That power necessarily includes the power to require proof of age before an individual can access such speech," Thomas continued. "It follows that no person -- adult or child -- has a First Amendment right to access speech that is obscene to minors without first submitting proof of age."
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Neil Gorsuch, Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett joined Thomas in the majority opinion. Justices Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor dissented, with Kagan writing the dissent.