United States Third Circuit

In a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Child Online Protection Act (COPA), the statute is held unconstitutional where it is: 1) a content-based restriction on speech subject to strict scrutiny; 2) not narrowly tailored; 3) not the least restrictive means to achieving the government's purpose of protecting children from harmful materials on the Web; and 4) impermissibly overbroad and vague.

Appellate Information

• Argued 06/10/2008
• Decided 07/22/2008
• Published 07/22/2008

Judges

• Before:  AMBRO, CHAGARES, and GREENBERG, Circuit Judges.

Court

• United States Third Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Jeffrey S. Bucholtz, Acting Assistant Attorney General, Patrick L. Meehan, United States Attorney, Scott R. McIntosh, United States Department of Justice, Civil Division, Charles W. Scarborough (argued), United States Department of Justice, Appellate Section, Washington, DC, for Appellant., David P. Affinito, Dell'Italia, Affinito, & Santola, Orange, NJ, for Amicus Curiae Morality in Media, Inc., Steven W. Fitschen, The National Legal Foundation, Virginia Beach, VA, for Amicus Curiae National Legal Foundation., Robert Corn-Revere, Davis, Wright & Tremine, Washington, D.C., for Amici Curiae Article 19, Reporters Without Borders, and World Press Freedom., John B. Morris, Jr., Center for Democracy & Technology, Washington, D.C., for certain amici curiae.


• For Appellees:
  
• Catherine N. Crump, Aden J. Fine, Christopher A. Hansen (argued), Benjamin E. Wizner, American Civil Liberties Union, Christopher R. Harris, Jeroen van Kwawegen, Katherine E. Marshall, Latham & Watkins, New York, NY, for Appellees.