United States v. American Library Association: The Internet Filtering Case

This episode from the series The First Amendment in the 21st Century focuses on United States v. American Library Association (ALA), the 2003 Supreme Court case upholding the Children's Internet Protection Act, which requires public libraries receiving federal funding to equip computers accessible to children with filters designed to block pornography. After briefly outlining the history of porn and censorship from the days of the early American colonies to the present, the program explains the particulars of the U.S. v. ALA case, with comments from both librarians and attorneys, while a dramatized segment features two actors quoting from the transcripts in a courtroom background. Lawyers and law professors weigh in on the constitutional aspects of the issue and present arguments for and against the Supreme Court decision in a final chapter. DVD extras include Spanish subtitling, a teacher's guide, and case summaries, plus audio and a transcript of the oral arguments presented in U.S. v. ALA. Other tiles in the series include: Bartnicki v. Vopper: The Illegal Digital Intercept Case, Zelman v. Simmons-Harris: The School Voucher Case, United States v. Stevens: The Dog Fighting Case, Boy Scouts of America v. Dale: The Gay Scoutmaster Case, and Garcetti v. Ceballos: The Whistleblower Case. Recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (M. Puffer-Rothenberg)