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03/02/2020 Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union, 117 S.Ct. 2329, 138 L.Ed.2d 874 (1997) ACCESSIBILITY ABOUT LII CONTACT US ADVERTISE HERE HELP TERMS OF USE https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/96-511.ZO.html 28/29

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Reno v. ACLU

Case Law

Country

United States

Country Location

Latitude: 39.778231903243785

Longitude: -100.8801256788983

Country Location (linked Case Law): United States

Decision Date: Jun 26, 1997

Case Status: Closed

Case Outcome (Procedural)

Affirmed Lower Court

Case Outcome (Disposition)

Law or Action Overturned or Deemed Unconstitutional

Keywords

Censorship
Search Engines
Social Media

Judicial Body: Supreme Court (court of final appeal)

Case Number: 521 U.S. 844

Case Summary: The ACLU challenged the constitutionality of two provisions in the 1996 Communications Decency Act under the First Amendment. The Act criminalized the intentional transmission of "obscene or indecent" messages as well as the transmission of information which depicts or describes "sexual or excretory activities or organs" in a manner deemed "offensive" by community standards. The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the lower court's decision deeming the provisions unconstitutional because they amounted to a content-based blanket restriction of free speech. The Act failed to define "indecent" communications, and unlike in broadcast regulations, there was no limitation on the applicability of the restrictions during certain times or to individuals. The Act also failed to demonstrate that the transmission of "offensive" material was devoid of social value.

Case Significance: The decision establishes a binding or persuasive precedent within its jurisdiction.

Source URL: Columbia Global Freedom of Expression

Collection

CIPIT

Date Updated: May 10, 2024

Primary Documents

Reno v US.pdf
English
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CYRILLA: Global Digital Rights Law

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Reno v. ACLU

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