NEW ORLEANS—The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit today affirmed the injunction blocking the central censorship requirement of Texas’s HB 18, the so-called SCOPE Act. The ruling keeps the government from dictating what lawful speech Texas families see online, and leaves that decision with parents, where it belongs.
“This is a win for every Texan who believes the government has no business deciding what they can read, watch, and say online,” said Paul Taske, Director of the NetChoice Litigation Center.
“HB 18 would have forced websites to censor broad, vaguely defined categories of lawful speech. The Fifth Circuit is right to keep it blocked. Parents, not the government, are best positioned to decide what is appropriate for their own families, and today’s ruling protects that fundamental right.”
Today’s decision continues a clear national trend: courts have now blocked similar online censorship and age-gating laws in California, Arkansas, and Mississippi. An unconstitutional law protects no one, and HB 18 is no exception. Texas families are best served by real safety tools that respect the Constitution, like NetChoice’s Digital Safety Shield for America.
NetChoice is confident these censorship requirements will be struck down for good as the case moves forward.
Read the Fifth Circuit’s decision here.
Find case resources for CCIA & NetChoice v. Paxton here.
Please contact press@netchoice.org with inquiries.