Supreme Court upholds Texas law requiring porn sites to verify age of users
The Supreme Court dismissed arguments that the law violates the First Amendment.
Supreme Court.
On Friday, the Supreme Court upheld a Texas law requiring pornographic websites to verify users' ages. The Court ruled that the law does not violate free speech, supporting efforts to protect children from accessing adult content.
In a 6–3 decision, the Supreme Court rejected a First Amendment challenge to the law, ruling that the need to protect minors from sexually explicit content online outweighs the burden the age-verification requirement places on adults.
Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the majority opinion for the Court. Texas is one of about 20 U.S. states that have laws requiring consumers of pornography to be over the age of 18.
The Texas law
Under the law, companies that fail to properly verify users' ages can be fined up to $10,000 per day—and up to $250,000 if a minor gains access to pornographic content.
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