Supreme Court Upholds Texas Age Verification Law on Adult Websites

The U.S. Supreme Court recently upheld a Texas law requiring adult websites like Pornhub to verify users' ages, ruling the statute constitutional despite concerns about free speech protections. This decision, authored by Justice Clarence Thomas, notably applied an intermediate scrutiny standard rather than the more rigorous strict scrutiny typically required for content-based laws, raising concerns among legal experts about doctrinal drift and the potential erosion of First Amendment protections. The majority's move to relax scrutiny could set a precedent allowing more content-based restrictions to survive legal challenges, thereby weakening free speech rights online. Meanwhile, the Court declined to review a case involving a Massachusetts educator dismissed over TikTok videos expressing gender-related opinions, missing an opportunity to clarify free speech rights for public employees expressing views outside the workplace. These developments reflect ongoing tensions in the U.S. judiciary regarding the balance between regulating harmful content and preserving constitutional free speech. Discussions about free speech are also prominent internationally, as seen in Germany, where conservative figures like Hans-Georg Maassen highlight perceived threats to free expression.