Federal judge halts Mississippi law requiring age verification for websites

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A federal judge on Monday blocked a Mississippi law that would require users of websites and other digital services to verify their age.

The preliminary injunction by U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden came the same day the law was set to take effect. A tech industry group sued Mississippi on June 7, arguing the law would unconstitutionally limit access to online speech for minors and adults.

Legislators said the law is designed to protect children from sexually explicit material.

“It is not lost on the Court the seriousness of the issue the legislature was attempting to address, nor does the Court doubt the good intentions behind the enactment of (the law),” Ozderen wrote.

The U.S. Supreme Court has held that any law that dealing with speech “is subject to strict scrutiny regardless of the government’s benign motive,’” Ozerden wrote.

Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed the legislation after it passed the GOP-controlled House and Senate without opposition from either party.

The suit challenging the law was filed by NetChoice, whose members include Google, which owns YouTube; Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat; and Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram.

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