Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Supreme Court leans in favor of state-enforced age limits on porn websites
Los Angeles Times ^ | Jan. 15, 2025 Updated 12:48 PM PT | David G. Savage

Posted on 01/15/2025 5:09:50 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum

WASHINGTON  —  Thanks to the internet and smartphones, children today have instant access to vast amounts of online pornography, much of it graphic, violent and degrading, Texas state attorneys told the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

They urged justices to restore the rules of an earlier era, when X-rated theaters and bookstores had an adults-only policy.

Last year, Texas enacted an age-verification law that requires pornographic websites to confirm their users are 18 or older.

Lawyers for 23 other Republican-led states joined in support of Texas, saying they have or plan to adopt similar measures.

The court’s conservative justices signaled they are prepared to uphold these new laws.

They noted that age-verification rules are now common for online gambling and for buying alcohol or tobacco online.

But more importantly, they pointed to the dramatic change in technology and the easy availability of hardcore pornography.

We are “in an entirely different era,” said Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. “The technological access to pornography has exploded.”

He said that warrants reconsidering rulings from decades past that invoked the 1st Amendment to strike down anti-pornography measures.

In one such ruling, the court in 2004 said parents and librarians could use filtering software to protect children from pornography.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett said parents have long known that “filtering” software is not effective in protecting children. “Kids can get online porn through gaming systems, tablets, phones and computers,” she said. “I can say from personal experience ... content filtering isn’t working.”

In the past, she said the court had no problem upholding laws that prevent bookstores from selling sexually explicit books or magazine to children or teens.

She questioned why online porn should be treated differently.

(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: Humor
KEYWORDS: pornography
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 61-8081-100101-120 ... 241-257 next last
To: E. Pluribus Unum

One interesting story. In Christianity Today (I don’t subscribe or like it) they ran a story about a minister who was assigned to attack porn for its harm.

He acquainted himself with online porn for the first time in his life and then became totally addicted to it himself.

Much later article: (61% of Americans regularly view now).

More Christians Are Watching Porn, But Fewer Think It’s a Problem By Maria Baer.
Ministries expand to reach the 54 percent of churchgoers who say they view online pornography.

https://www.christianitytoday.com/2024/09/pornography-use-christians-study-barna-research-pure-desire-ministries/


81 posted on 01/15/2025 6:44:12 PM PST by frank ballenger (There's a battle outside and it's raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Petrosius

The BOR applies to the states…an issue settled long ago and constantly reaffirmed. It will never be reversed.


82 posted on 01/15/2025 6:44:29 PM PST by ARW
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 68 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

Freedom of speech does not cover propogating whatever you want to minors.


83 posted on 01/15/2025 6:46:33 PM PST by Persevero (You cannot comply your way out of tyranny. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

Since child pornography is illegal (as it should be), the inverse should also be illegal. If one desires to look at smut, one should prove their age of majority.

Each state should decide this. I believe this is a reasonable limitation to the 1st Amendment. Pornography damages young men’s and boy’s minds and they grow up to be cognitively and socially damaged due to its destructive and addictive power.


84 posted on 01/15/2025 6:47:14 PM PST by Nathan _in_Arkansas (Hoist the black flag and begin slitting throats. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: frank ballenger

According to male dancers, plenty of “good married women” and bachelorettes sexually cheat in their parties. Extremely common.


85 posted on 01/15/2025 6:48:12 PM PST by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; not averse to Going Bronson.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 64 | View Replies]

To: ARW

Roe v. Wade was also once “settled” law. It was reversed.


86 posted on 01/15/2025 6:50:07 PM PST by Petrosius
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 82 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

Again... this isn’t about porn.

This is about destroying anonymity on the internet. Requiring an ID to use the internet and therefore destroying free speech on the internet when they want to control the narrative next time.


87 posted on 01/15/2025 6:52:08 PM PST by Skywise
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Skywise

One small step toward the total surveillance state.

Odd that some people don’t understand that.


88 posted on 01/15/2025 6:55:43 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum (The worst thing about censorship is █████ ██ ████ ████ ████ █ ███████ ████. FJB.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 87 | View Replies]

To: Nextrush

Just wait until they come up with glasses that will see through clothes. Only a matter of time.


89 posted on 01/15/2025 6:58:13 PM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 69 | View Replies]

To: Bayard

Impossible to enforce without a raid on family house and catching children watching porn red handed.


90 posted on 01/15/2025 7:01:09 PM PST by Bobbyvotes (Congrats to Trump/Vance tea.m. America has been saved. For a while at least. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: reasonisfaith

Congress critters are known to be users of porn.


91 posted on 01/15/2025 7:02:13 PM PST by Bobbyvotes (Congrats to Trump/Vance tea.m. America has been saved. For a while at least. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: frank ballenger

You just have to sign up with Democrat sites, or other liberal sites, to know what they are up to. Sign up and just lurk and don’t participate so you don’t get yourself banned.

They wanted Christians to pass laws against pornography, because they were planning on using those laws to ban the Bible. That’s why all sorts of porn just suddenly appeared in schools, because they wanted that reactionary response.

One of Alinsky’s rules is to make your enemy live up to his principles in the most stringent way possible so he will fail and his principles impossible to keep.


92 posted on 01/15/2025 7:04:06 PM PST by Jonty30 (Liberals are a fulfillment of II Tim3:5. We are instructed to have nothing to do with those people. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 77 | View Replies]

To: Tell It Right

How about leaving it for the parents to decide? FYI: YHE 10th Amendment does not override the 1st, 2nd, or any other provision in the Bill of Rights.


93 posted on 01/15/2025 7:04:13 PM PST by Labyrinthos
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: frank ballenger
I’m sure the soldiers had to carefully examine the evidence for legal purposes.

Some other kids in the group claimed this was so. They said they peeked around the curtain of their train cabin and saw the guards looking through it and smiling.
94 posted on 01/15/2025 7:05:29 PM PST by mmichaels1970 ( )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 72 | View Replies]

To: reasonisfaith

If Texas can demand age verification for porn (which is sadly just free speech under past precedent) because it’s “dangerous”, then California can demand age verification for sites like Freerepublic as “dangerous”.

The government is a crappy parent.

It’s the parents’ job to monitor this and raise their children correctly.


95 posted on 01/15/2025 7:06:21 PM PST by MeanWestTexan (Sometimes There Is No Lesser Of Two Evils)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Secret Agent Man

Women cheat more than men. Stats bear this out, but women are better at hiding it because they generally have better access to opportunities.


96 posted on 01/15/2025 7:10:53 PM PST by Jonty30 (Liberals are a fulfillment of II Tim3:5. We are instructed to have nothing to do with those people. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 85 | View Replies]

To: MeanWestTexan

Exactly. And unlike speech and expression, the the Constitution does not reference alcohol, tobacco, gambling, or abortion.


97 posted on 01/15/2025 7:11:52 PM PST by Labyrinthos
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 95 | View Replies]

To: dfwgator

“Just wait until they come up with glasses that will see through clothes. Only a matter of time.”

Sone came out with a camera that had an infrared lens and it functioned exactly like that because the heat signatures off the body gave too much detail.

https://fossbytes.com/sony-accidentally-launched-camcorders-see-peoples-clothes/


98 posted on 01/15/2025 7:13:14 PM PST by Jonty30 (Liberals are a fulfillment of II Tim3:5. We are instructed to have nothing to do with those people. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 89 | View Replies]

To: Petrosius

Fair enough. The BOR issue has a lot more going for it than Roe did. Regardless, i hope you don’t get your wish- I’m a big 1A and 2A fan.


99 posted on 01/15/2025 7:13:58 PM PST by ARW
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 86 | View Replies]

To: dfwgator

Only the FBI will be allowed to have them...sarc


100 posted on 01/15/2025 7:14:20 PM PST by Nextrush (FREEDOM IS EVERYBODY'S BUSINESS-REMEMBER REV. NIEMOLLER)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 89 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 61-8081-100101-120 ... 241-257 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson