STATEMENT OF BARBARA COMSTOCK
ON THE SUPREME COURT DECISION IN ASHCROFT V. ACLU

"The Justice Department is pleased the Supreme Court has vacated the decision of the Third Circuit to invalidate the Child Online Protection Act, which was designed to protect minors from commercial pornography on the Internet. Congress carefully drafted the law to put Internet pornography on the same footing as material offered for sale in bricks-and-mortar bookstores or convenience stores, where children are protected from inadvertent viewing because magazines are wrapped in brown paper or are kept behind the counters. As the Child Online Protection Act undergoes further review, the Justice Department will take all available steps to support the Act and keep our nation's children safe from viewing the pornography for sale on the Internet."

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02-285