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Judge Strikes Down COPA, 1998 Online Porn Law

Posted by kdawson on from the one-for-free-speech dept.

Begopa sends in word that a federal judge has struck down the Child Online Protection Act. The judge said that parents can protect their children through software filters and other less restrictive means that do not limit others' rights to free speech. This was the case for which the US Department of Justice subpoenaed several search companies for search records; only Google fought the order. The case has already been to the Supreme Court. Senior U.S. District Judge Lowell Reed Jr. wrote in his decision: "Perhaps we do the minors of this country harm if First Amendment protections, which they will with age inherit fully, are chipped away in the name of their protection."

13 of 348 comments (clear)

  1. Bush missed! by voice_of_all_reason · · Score: 3, Funny

    Forget the federal attorneys, he obviously intended to sack all the federal judges and replace them with new ones loyal to the Empire

  2. And I would like to say that... by physicsboy500 · · Score: 3, Funny

    I for one thank our porn permitting overlord!

    --
    The original generic sig.
  3. Enter Mrs. Broflovski by manifoldronin · · Score: 3, Funny

    Man, the moms from Mothers Against Canada are gonna be so mad.

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    Tyranny isn't the worst enemy of a democracy. Cynicism is.
  4. Re:A step in the right direction. by toleraen · · Score: 5, Funny

    You sir, were the primary motivation for me to learn how to format a hard drive and reinstall Windows when I was younger!

  5. Re:A step in the right direction. by statusbar · · Score: 3, Funny
    Excellent! I'm glad that you figured out a way around it and learned something while doing it!

    Filtering is Power over another

    --jeffk++

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    ipv6 is my vpn
  6. Re:A step in the right direction. by Short+Circuit · · Score: 2, Funny

    Unless it's ultra-violent rape porn or something You've illustrated the primary argument, that porn can have an influence on children's learned behavior. And there's millions of Americans who, for some reason, believe that any knowledge of sex will cause children to grow up to be something they shouldn't. (Like, "parents", I suppose.)
    --
    tasks(723) drafts(105) languages(484) examples(29106)
  7. Re:Good by to a crud law. by Intron · · Score: 4, Funny

    Before the US starts diverting or changing plains, it will need an environmental impact statement.

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    Intron: the portion of DNA which expresses nothing useful.
  8. Re:Good by to a crud law. by pipatron · · Score: 4, Funny

    Dude, it's Snakes on a Plane , not Snakes on a Plain

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    c++; /* this makes c bigger but returns the old value */
  9. Re:A step in the right direction. by Pojut · · Score: 3, Funny

    from the time I was 15, I was my step-dad's porn supplier lol

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    Living With a Nerd
  10. Re:A step in the right direction. by Notquitecajun · · Score: 2, Funny

    You're speaking to the problem that I think that is missing in those of us who believe (through certain moral/religious mores) that

    A) extramarital sex is wrong,

    B) abstaining til marriage is a good, noble idea

    C) sex ed that stresses the moral importance of abstaining yet isn't afraid to teach a little more than the biology and D) Sex is good, and good for you.

    It's a hard line to deal with at times, and wasn't well done in my own education. My parents had the morals right, but weren't very open. Getting married helped...a lot. My wife was educated well...and abstained.

  11. Re:Kudos to this judge! by Churla · · Score: 2, Funny

    See, now I will be giggling all day imagining someone in full CS body armor with a rifle sitting quietly in the shadows of a delivery ward at the hospital.

    Then someone busting in and going "Dude, camping spawn points is so not cool!"

    --
    I'm a fiscal conservative, it's a pity we don't have a political party anymore
  12. Punishment for Speeding - Castration! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I get pulled over for speeding - 60 in a 55 zone, and pay my fine. Three months later I get pulled over again in the same spot again doing 60. Clearly I haven't been rehabilitated of my wanton need for speed. How do you deal with me?

    Cut yer nuts off... then we'll ask you if you still feel like hotrodding through our town's streets.

    1. Re:Punishment for Speeding - Castration! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Cut yer nuts off... then we'll ask you if you still feel like hotrodding through our town's streets. Sure. Why not? You can only cut my nuts off once.