Received from People for the American Way:

People For the American Way Foundation Attorneys are Counsel to Plaintiffs in Internet Filtering Case Before Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is hearing arguments today in a case involving free speech
and Internet censorship in public libraries. Last year, a three-judge federal court ruled unconstitutional the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA). People For the American Way Foundation (PFAWF) and the law firm of Jenner & Block filed the lawsuit challenging CIPA on behalf of the American Library Association, other library associations, and library patrons.

CIPA, passed by Congress in 2000, would have required public libraries to install computers with filtering software to block access to material in cyberspace deemed to be "harmful to minors." If libraries failed to outfit their computers with the software, they stood to lose federal funding.

The three-judge court, sitting in Philadelphia, unanimously ruled that CIPA would have blocked all library patrons from gaining access via the Internet to an array of material that is protected by the First Amendment. The court also enjoined federal agencies from withholding funds from public libraries that have not installed the software on their computers.

The ACLU also challenged CIPA, and its suit was consolidated with the PFAWF-ALA suit for trial before the three-judge panel. Any appeal of the panel's decision will go straight to the Supreme Court.