Judge largely blocks Tennessee's porn site age verification law as other states enforce theirs

Source: AP

By JONATHAN MATTISE
Updated 12:47 AM CST, January 7, 2025

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee law requiring pornographic websites to verify their visitors’ age was largely blocked in court before it was to take effect Jan. 1, even as similar laws kicked in for Florida and South Carolina and remained in effect for more than a dozen other states.

On Dec. 30, U.S. District Judge Sheryl Lipman in Memphis ruled that Tennessee’s law would likely suppress the First Amendment free speech rights of adults without actually preventing children from accessing the harmful material in question. The state attorney general’s office is appealing the decision.

The Free Speech Coalition, an adult entertainment trade group, is suing over Tennessee’s law and those in a half-dozen other states. The coalition lists some 19 states that have passed similar laws. One prominent adult website has cut off access in several states due to their laws.

The issue will hit the U.S. Supreme Court for oral arguments regarding Texas’ law next week.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/tennessee-porn-age-verification-lawsuit-2fdc2563836315c6d4e8eb4d57ab9913