A panel of appeals judges has ruled that Tennessee can begin enforcing a law that requires pornographic websites to verify their visitors’ age as the First Amendment debate rises to the U.S. Supreme Court this week for oral arguments over a similar Texas law.
On Monday, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel ruled 3-0 that Tennessee's law can take effect while a legal challenge continues. A district court judge had largely blocked the law from kicking in on Jan. 1 while a lawsuit continued, citing free speech protections for adults and saying the law would be ineffective at shielding minors from harmful content.
