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INDIANAPOLIS — A Southern Indiana judge halted a new July 1 law blocking Hoosiers from adult websites like PornHub, citing likely First Amendment violations.
Governor Eric Holcomb signed Senate Bill 17 into law, requiring individuals to submit sensitive documents such as driver’s licenses to verify their age before accessing websites containing “material harmful to minors.”
Supporters aimed to protect minors from explicit content, but critics said it violated the First Amendment and endangered private information. Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita praised it as a safeguard for children, while the Free Speech Coalition sued to halt it.
The judge noted, “The Act imposes burdens on adults accessing constitutionally protected speech even when the majority of a website contains entirely acceptable, and constitutionally protected, material.”
U.S. District Court Judge Richard Young’s injunction will stay until a final decision is made or a higher court ends it.
