Janet Reno v. The American Civil Liberties Union.

... Robert M. Randall Janet Reno v. The American Civil Liberties Union In 1996 the United States government made an important decision about their role in the Internet with the passage of the Telecommunications Act. Contained within this act was the Communications Decency Act. "The Communications Decency Act (CDA) was a legislative attempt to ban the transmission of obscene or indecent material across the Internet on constitutional grounds."1 "The Communications Decency Act forbids the distribution to minors of obscene or indecent material through the Internet or on-line services. Violators could be fined as much as $250,000 or sentenced to two years in prison." 2 A day after the passage of this law, the American Civil Liberties Union-representing a coalition of 20 plaintiffs-and Joe Shea, editor of an online newspaper, filed separate suits against the government challenging the new law's constitutionality.3 A week later, a three judge district court issued a restraining

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