Texas Can Enforce Online Porn Age-Check Law, Beating Injunction

Texas can keep enforcing a law that requires online porn sites to check visitors’ ages, the Fifth Circuit ruled on Thursday, lifting a district court’s preliminary injunction blocking the law.

The new law doesn’t violate the First Amendment because it serves the government’s “legitimate interest” of keeping children from viewing porn, Judge Jerry E. Smith wrote in a Thursday opinion.

The Texas law (HB 1181) requires companies distributing “harmful” and “obscene” material on the internet to verify each user’s age and carries a fine of $10,000 per violation. Attorney General Ken Paxton began enforcing the law in February, bringing ...