The justices appeared skeptical of a challenge to the law brought by an adult-content industry group, producers of pornographic material and a porn actress.

The adult entertainment industry has said the law, which requires sites to verify that users are over 18, violates its free speech rights.

A majority of the Supreme Court signaled Wednesday that Texas may be permitted to require some form of age verification for pornographic sites, but left open the possibility that deeper First Amendment questions may not be resolved immediately.

The Supreme Court appeared open Wednesday to upholding a Texas law requiring pornography websites verify the age of their users, as they expressed concerns during oral arguments about the ease children have accessing explicit videos online.

The Supreme Court seems open to a Texas law aimed at blocking kids from seeing online pornography. But the justices could still send it back to a lower court for more consideration of how the age verification measure affects adults’ free-speech rights.

The Biden administration intervened to ask that the law be sent back to the 5th Circuit with instructions that the appellate court appraise it under the strict scrutiny standard. In other words: that the Supreme Court again rhetorically smack its inferior court for deciding that precedent it doesn’t like simply no longer applies.

Can Texas and red states limit children from instant access to vast amounts of online pornography? The Supreme Court will decide.

The law, meant to shield minors from sexual materials on the internet by requiring adults to prove they are 18, was challenged on First Amendment grounds.

During oral arguments, justices grappled with questions of how to protect children while preserving free speech and privacy.