In its first venture into cyberspace law, the Supreme Court Thursday invalidated a key provision of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, ruling Congress violated free speech rights when it tried to curb smut on the Internet.
In a unanimous decision, the court said Congress' effort to protect children from sexually explicit material goes too far because it would keep such material from adults who have a right to see it.
The provision made it a crime to put "patently offensive" material online where it could be found by children, with a penalty of up to two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
But it has never taken effect because it was blocked last year by a three-judge court in Philadelphia.
"The vagueness of such a regulation raises special First Amendment concerns because of its obvious chilling effect on free speech," Justice John Paul Stevens wrote.
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