On June 27, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its opinion in Free Speech Coalition, Inc. v. Paxton, a groundbreaking decision with significant implications for online content regulation. The Court upheld a Texas statute — House Bill 1181 (HB 1181) — requiring commercial websites that host a substantial amount of sexually explicit material to verify users’ ages before granting access. In doing so, the Court applied intermediate scrutiny and upheld the statute as a constitutionally permissible measure to protect minors from harmful content.

(more…)