Ashcroft v. American Civil Liberties Union

Ashcroft v. American Civil Liberties Union
Argued November 28, 2001
Decided May 13, 2002
Full case nameJohn Ashcroft, Attorney General v. American Civil Liberties Union, et al.
Citations535 U.S. 564 (more)
122 S. Ct. 1700; 152 L. Ed. 2d 771; 70 U.S.L.W. 4381; 30 Media L. Rep. 1801; 2002 Cal. Daily Op. Service 4057; 2002 Daily Journal DAR 5183; 15 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. S 256
ArgumentOral argument
Case history
PriorAmerican Civil Liberties Union v. Reno, 31 F. Supp. 2d 473 (E.D. Pa. 1999); affirmed, 217 F.3d 162 (3d Cir. 2000); cert. granted, 532 U.S. 1037 (2001).
SubsequentOn remand, American Civil Liberties Union v. Ashcroft, 322 F.3d 240 (3d Cir. 2003); affirmed, 542 U.S. 656 (2004).
Holding
The Child Online Protection Act's reliance on community standards to identify what material "is harmful to minors" may make the statute unconstitutional, but community standards need further definition.
Court membership
Chief Justice
William Rehnquist
Associate Justices
John P. Stevens · Sandra Day O'Connor
Antonin Scalia · Anthony Kennedy
David Souter · Clarence Thomas
Ruth Bader Ginsburg · Stephen Breyer
Case opinions
MajorityThomas, joined by Rehnquist, Scalia, O'Connor, Kennedy, Souter, Ginsburg, Breyer
DissentStevens
Laws applied
Child Online Protection Act; U.S. Const. amend. I

Ashcroft v. American Civil Liberties Union, 535 U.S. 564 (2002), followed by 542 U.S. 656 (2004), was a decision of the United States Supreme Court, ruling that the Child Online Protection Act (COPA) was unconstitutional as a violation of the First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of speech.[1]

  1. ^ Ashcroft v. American Civil Liberties Union, 535 U.S. 564 (2002).