CIPA Appealed To Supreme Court

As expected, the Justice Department on June 20 appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to determine the fate of the Children's Internet Protection Act.

The law, which requires mandatory filters on public library computers, was ruled unconstitutional in May by a federal district court in Pennsylvania. The Supreme Court is not expected to hear arguments in the case until early next year, and a ruling might not be issued until mid-2003.

Librarians in several online discussion groups have expressed dismay over a decision by the Institute of Museum & Library Services (IMLS) to join the Justice Department's appeal. But in fact, IMLS as well as the Federal Communications Commission have been defendants in the case from the start.