Just days before it was set to go into effect on January 1st, a Tennessee District court has blocked the state’s age-verification law. The intent of the law was to restrict the online activity of children on social media and place more controls on adult content.
In granting the injunction, Chief United States District Court Judge Sheryl H. Lipman wrote in part, “in its attempt to protect children, the State will unavoidably suppress a large amount of speech that adults have a First Amendment right to give and receive. The legislature’s goal, however admirable, does not allow it to undermine an adult’s freedom of speech. Neither the legislature nor this Court can turn a blind eye to the Constitution.”
The Free Speech Coalition sued the Tennessee Attorney General in November, calling the criminal law unconstitutional.