SCOTUS heard arguments regarding Texas' age verification law in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton on Wednesday. The outcome could change the internet forever.

A majority of the Supreme Court signaled Wednesday that Texas may be permitted to require some form of age verification for pornographic sites, but left open the possibility that deeper First Amendment questions may not be resolved immediately.

The Texas Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday in a case that could determine whether the United Methodist Church controls Southern Methodist University. SMU changed its governing language in 2019 to declare itself independent from the denomination’s control about nine months after the United Methodist Church voted to strengthen bans on gay weddings and pastors in gay relationships.

A Texas appeal over age verification for accessing sexual content online raises important constitutional questions.

The law, meant to shield minors from sexual materials on the internet by requiring adults to prove they are 18, was challenged on First Amendment grounds.

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Wednesday in a case over a Texas law requiring pornography websites to verify users’ ages. House Bill 1181, which the state Legislature passed in 2023,

Texas and 18 other states have recently enacted laws requiring pornography websites to verify the ages of their visitors.

Texas Supreme Court justices heard argument on whether Southern Methodist University has the right to separate from its founder.

The case brought by the porn industry over a Texas age-verification law could determine the fate of more than a dozen similar laws in other states.

Texas is among more than a dozen states with similar laws aimed at blocking young children and teenagers from viewing pornography.