Internet Pornography Law Blocked by U.S. High Court

June 29 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Supreme Court, citing free- speech concerns, blocked a federal criminal law that would bar commercial Web sites from making pornography available to children.

The justices, voting 5-4, said the law may unduly restrict access by adults to material that is sexually suggestive, yet constitutionally protected. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy said an alternate approach, blocking and filtering software, may be a more effective way to restrict youth access to online smut.

"Content-based prohibitions, enforced by severe criminal penalties have the constant potential to be a repressive force in the lives and thoughts of a free people,'' Kennedy wrote for the majority. (source)

This is good news. It's not that I'm an advocate of pornography, but I certainly am an advocate of free speech and free expression. If you start limiting what pornographic sites can offer, who will be the next target?

I also read that the way the law was worded, that even sites with gay content (such as this one) could be construed to be pornographic, or, a threat to children. Think about that. And think about the gay kid who is looking for information and has no way to obtain that information.

I also want to point out that this case lost by 1 vote! If Bush wins in November, we can expect to see the makeup of the Supreme Court change as justices retire, and not in a good way.