More than a dozen states have passed new laws that led to restrictions on pornography. Now, the Supreme Court will weigh in

In Texas, Florida, and more than a dozen other states, users who try to access the world’s largest pornography website are greeted by a surprising sight: a message on a black screen telling them they’re blocked because of the actions of their state legislature.

In Texas, Florida, and more than a dozen other states, users who try to access the world’s largest pornography website are greeted by a surprising sight: a message on a black screen telling them they’re blocked because of the actions of their state legislature. Over the last two and a half years, 19 states – home to more than a third of Americans – have passed laws that require pornography websites to confirm a user’s age by checking a government-issued ID or scanning their face, among other methods. The new laws, which have been pushed by allies of President-elect Donald Trump, have led some of the largest adult sites, including Pornhub, to block users from specific states, rather than paying millions for ID-checking services. Next week, the Supreme Court will hear a challenge to the constitutionality of the new laws, setting up a battle over free speech, censorship and how to protect kids online. The case could end up eroding landmark precedents protecting pornography, following previous decisions from the court that have overturned decades-old case law. To supporters, the restrictions in the age verification laws are common-sense measures to prevent children from seeing explicit content. But critics say the push to restrict porn undermines free speech protections and infringes on privacy rights. It could also put some porn companies out of business because of the high costs of verifying the age of every visitor, while doing little to stop foreign or fringe porn websites that don’t comply with US laws. “Porn is the canary in the coalmine of free speech,” said Mike Stabile, a spokesperson for the Free Speech Coalition, a trade association for the adult entertainment industry that is among the plaintiffs of the lawsuit against Texas. “These bills are meant to put the adult industry out of practice.”