Clarence Thomas undermines First Amendment rights in age-verification ruling

In June 2025, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled on a significant case that involved a Texas law requiring age verification for access to pornographic websites. The case, known as Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, scrutinized a state law aimed at protecting minors from accessing adult content. Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for a 6-3 majority, acknowledged that the law places a burden on the free speech rights of adults. However, he determined that since the law was passed with the intention of safeguarding children, it merited a lower level of judicial scrutiny known as intermediate scrutiny. This marked a substantial deviation from the traditional strict scrutiny standard, which requires the government to demonstrate a compelling interest and that its law is the least restrictive means available. The ruling has raised alarms among First Amendment advocates and organizations like the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), who criticized the decision for undermining the principles of free speech by allowing the government to impose restrictions on adult access to constitutionally protected speech based on proof of identity. Many see this as a dangerous precedent, potentially leading to further erosion of rights as the justification for age verification laws expands.