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Links: Supremes OK Porn-filters in Libraries
Posted by Tara Swaminatha on Monday, June 23 @ 13:55:24 EDT Free Expression
In one of four memorandum opinions issued today, the Supreme Court ruled Congress' spending power could be used to implement pornography filters on Internet workstations in public libraries.

According to the opinion, United States v. American Library Association, Congress may require libraries to install Internet filters before they can receive federal money. Yahoo! quotes an American Library Association spokesperson as predicting that many libraries will consider turning down federal money rather than installing filters.

United States v. ALA does not find Internet filters in violation of library patrons' First Amendment rights.

According to Chief Justice Rehnquist, author of the majority opinion, the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) does not violate the First Amendment, does not turn librarians into censors and filtering software does not block too much nonpornographic material.

Justices Kennedy and Breyer concurred, noting that the governmental interest in protecting children from inappropriate material outweighs the burden on adult patrons who may have to ask librarians to disable filters.

Justices Stevens, Souter and Ginsburg disagreed with the majority, finding that CIPA restrictions do go too far.
 
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Summary of the three court rulings... (Score: 0)
by Anonymous on Thursday, June 26 @ 15:21:07 EDT
The government is allowed to stop you from viewing porn in a library. They can stop you from going to a school because you're white. But they can't stop you from having anal sex, cause that's your constitutional right.


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Re: Supremes OK Porn-filters in Libraries (Score: 0)
by Anonymous on Tuesday, July 01 @ 17:21:19 EDT
Dosen't violate free speech rights, huh. What about privacy rights when an adult " may have to ask librarians to disable filters?"


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