The final plaintiff witnesses are presented to the court. Government testimony ends. A similar challenge to the Act is filed in a federal district court in New York by The American Reporter magazine. The Second Circuit is prepared to rule in the case by early June. The race to the United States Supreme Court begins.
Oral argument is heard in Philadelphia.
A ruling from the three judge federal panel is expected any day in American Library Association v. United States Department of Justice . A concurrent ruling from New York is expected. The suit challenges the Communications Decency Act contained in the new Telecommunications Act of 1996 on the grounds that it violates free speech and does not effectively protect children from inappropriate material. It was filed by a broad array of organizations who formed the Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition in response to the passage of the Act. The Coalition, of which ALA is a member, represents librarians, on-line providers, publishers, parents and others concerned that the law bans not only sexually explicit material, but also vital, educational information.