ACLJ Promises Legal Defense for New Federal Law Requiring Public Libraries to Use Porn-Blocking Software

Business Wire, Dec 20, 2000

Business Editors

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 20, 2000

The American Center for Law and Justice, an international public interest law firm, said today it will offer to defend a new federal law that requires public libraries to use computer software to block pornography - a new law that the American Civil Liberties Union says it will challenge.

"This is an issue about protecting our children," said Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice, who testified before a U.S. Senate Committee in 1999 regarding the constitutionality of mandating computer filtering devices for public libraries. "It is our view that the claim made by the ACLU and other groups that the new law violates the First Amendment is legally flawed. It is clear that the U.S. Supreme Court on several occasions has ruled that the government has a compelling interest in protecting the physical and psychological well being of minors from the adverse effects of pornography. We believe this new law will clear any constitutional challenges posed by the ACLU or any other group. It is our intention to offer our legal services to defend this new law that constitutionally protects children who use the Internet."

The new legislation, which was introduced by Senator John McCain (R-Arizona), was passed last Friday by Congress and is expected to be signed into law by President Clinton.

The Children's Internet Protection Act mandates that any school or library that refuses to install Internet filtering software on its computers would lose federal funds for technology upgrades.

In March 1999, Sekulow appeared before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and testified that the use of computer filtering devices to protect children from sexually explicit material and pornography is constitutional and urged that public schools and public libraries be required to use Internet filtering software for computer terminals utilized by children.

During the hearing, Sekulow also told Senators that the American Center for Law and Justice receives many calls from concerned parents who want to know what can be done to protect their children from offensive and sexually explicit material on the Internet. The written testimony presented to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is available on the ACLJ website at www.aclj.org.

The American Center for Law and Justice is an international public interest law firm and educational organization that focuses on constitutional issues and specializes in pro-family, pro-life, and pro-liberty cases. The ACLJ web site address is www.aclj.org.