Supreme Court Considers Texas Age Verification Law

The U.S. Supreme Court is currently deliberating on a Texas law that mandates age verification for users accessing pornography online, following a divided ruling from the Fifth Circuit Court that allowed the law to take effect. The law, known as H.B. 1181, has faced legal challenges from the Free Speech Coalition and the ACLU, who argue that a more stringent standard of scrutiny should be applied, as the law could infringe on adults' rights to access protected speech. During oral arguments, the justices expressed concerns about the law's implications, questioning whether its requirements are overly burdensome for adult users while also acknowledging the state's interest in protecting minors from explicit content. The law imposes fines on non-compliant websites, which could lead to a chilling effect on free speech, as it requires sites with significant sexual content to verify users' ages through government IDs. A decision from the Supreme Court is expected in summer 2025, which could impact similar laws in nearly 20 states. Central to the discussions is the balance between safeguarding minors and preserving adults' access to legal adult content online.