Welcome to the home of the Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition (CIEC), a broad group of Internet users, library groups, publishers, online service providers, and civil liberties groups fighting for the future of the First Amendment and the future of free expression in the Information age. more...

President Clinton Endorses User Empowerment Approach
[Wednesday July 16]

In a meeting of public interest advocates and industry representatives today, President Clinton and Vice President Gore said that user control, as opposed to CDA-style content regulations, is the best way to help parents prevent their kids from accessing inappropriate material on the Internet. Visit the Center for Democracy and Technology's Free Speech Issue Page for more details.

Supreme Court Rules CDA Unconstitutional
[Thursday June 26]

"As a matter of constitutional tradition, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, we presume that governmental regulation of the content of speech is more likely to interfere with the free exchange of ideas than to encourage it. The interest in encouraging freedom of expression in a democratic society outweighs any theoretical but unproven benefit of censorship." -- Justice John Paul Stevens, writing for the majority

The Supreme Court today ruled unanimously that the Communications Decency Act violates the First Amendment. Writing for the court, Justice John Paul Stevens held that "the CDA places an unacceptably heavy burden on protected speech" and found that all provisions of the CDA are unconsitutional as they apply to "indecent" or "patently offensive" speech. In a separate concurrence, Chief Justice William Rhenquist and Justice Sandra Day O'Connor agreed that the provisions of the CDA are all unconstitutional except in their narrow application to "communications between an adult and one or more minors."

• Text of the decision

• Reactions and Press Releases
  • CIEC Press Release and links to CIEC member organization press releases [June 26, 1997]
  • Statement by President Clinton [June 26, 1997]
  • Press Release from Senator Pat Leahy (D-VT) [June 26, 1997]
  • Press Release from Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) [June 26, 1997]
  • Press Release from Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) [June 26, 1997]
  • Press Release from Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) [June 26, 1997]
  • Press Release from Congressman Rick White (R-WA) [June 26, 1997]
  • Press Release from Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA) [June 26, 1997]
  • Press Release from Congressman Ed Markey (D-MA) [June 26, 1997]
  • Press Release from Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) [June 26, 1997]

  • Press Release from Family Research Council (CDA Proponents) [June 26, 1997]

Visit the CIEC events page for links to the archive of the CIEC post-decision press conference and information about post-decision rallies around the country.

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Other news:

• The latest CIEC Alert [June 5, 1997]
• New York and Georgia Net-Censorship Laws Ruled Unconstitutional [June 20, 1997]
• CIEC Press Release regarding the Supreme Court Oral Arguments [March 19, 1997]
• Read what CIEC lead attorney Bruce Ennis, the Justice Department solicitor, and the Supreme Court Justices said during oral arguments. (Transcript courtesy of the ACLU.)