Mississippi AG: Let Social Media Age-Verification Law Stand
In the latest move in a months-long case, Mississippi urged the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reject an injunction on a state law that requires parental consent for those younger than 18 to create accounts with certain digital service providers.
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The state's Attorney General Lynn Fitch (R), in a court document Thursday, argued the district court didn't conduct the proper analysis needed to halt the law initially, which has since been lifted by the 5th Circuit. The group challenging the law, NetChoice, has now called on the appeals court to reinstate the block.
Though the U.S. District Court for Southern Mississippi has twice enjoined HB-1126 for being too broad to survive a First Amendment challenge (docket 1:24-cv-00170) (see 2407010062 and 2506180051), the 5th Circuit granted a stay of the injunction without explanation in a one-page, 13-word order on July 17 (see 2507170019) after Fitch appealed (see 2506200009).
However, several amicus briefs filed Oct. 9 argued the Mississippi law poses significant privacy concerns and violates the First Amendment (see 2510100010). NetChoice had also asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate the injunction (see 2507210072), which was supported by several advocacy groups (see 2507250044), but ultimately denied (see 2508140048).