Constitutional Law——Constitutionality of Mandatory Filters on Federally Funded Internet Access in Public Libraries——United States v. American Library Association, Inc., 539 U.S. 194 (2003)

The First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech and expression without government intrusion.  Since the emergence of the Internet as a valuable informational resource, legislators have tried to strike a balance between the online protection of minors and the preservation of First Amendment rights.  In United States v. American Library Association, Inc., the United States Supreme Court considered whether filters on federally funded Internet access violate the First Amendment rights of library patrons.  Recognizing Internet filtering as a library’s collection decision, the Court held that public libraries’ use of Internet filtering software did not violate the First Amendment. . . .