American Library Association v. Pataki
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
969 F. Supp. 160 (1997)
Relevant factsFree
New York (defendant) made it illegal to distribute material harmful to minors over the internet; the American Library Association (plaintiff) challenged the law under the First Amendment and the Commerce Clause, arguing the internet's inherently interstate nature meant New York's law would effectively regulate conduct in every other state too.
IssueFree
Whether a state statute that restricts content on the Internet is a per se violation of the Commerce Clause.