Summary: Michigan’s harmful to minors law as applied to the Internet was ruled unconstitutional on June 1, 2001.
History: On June 1, 2001, a U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan ruled that Michigan’s harmful to minors law as applied to the Internet was unconstitutional in Cyberspace Communications v. Engler. The state had previously gone to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals to argue that the District Judge was wrong in granting a preliminary injunction before deciding the case. The Sixth Circuit Court ruled that the District Judge did abuse his discretion in granting the preliminary injunction, and sent it back to the District Court for a decision on the constitutionality of the statue, where U.S. District Judge Arthur Tarnow ruled that the application of the law to the Internet was unconstitutional. Media Coalition submitted an amicus brief in the Sixth Circuit.
updated 6/4/09