The second major legal decision that would determine the future of the 1st Amendment�s application to the internet was ACLU vs. Reno V. In this case the ACLU was suing to have the Child Online Protection Act (COPA) deemed unconstitutional. The plaintiffs argued that the COPA suffered from legal problems similar to those that led to the ruling against the CDA. One component of the COPA was that material was determined to be obscene by comparing it to the standards of decency in the region (Free Speech, par. 44). The court ruled that because the law required that material be acceptable in all regions, that material would have to abide by the standards of decency in the most conservative region of the nation, and therefore would be unconstitutionally restrictive (American Civil Liberties Union v. Reno).Visit CNet.com for more information about the COPA. Or, for a recent update as to the status of the COPA Supreme Court Case, visit australianit.news.com
