Article New York Times

The New York Times Hearings End in Online Pornography Case By PAMELA MENDELS PHILADELPHIA -- A federal online pornography law will either unconstitutionally chill free speech on a variety of commercial Web sites or spur the creation of sensible screens between children and sites that exist to sell pornography. Those were the opposing views expressed Wednesday during the final day of hearings in United States District Court here to decide whether the new law, the …

…Bhattacharyya insisted, on the contrary, that educational and medical material would be protected under the broader meaning of "scientific, literary, artistic, or political" content. The hearings, originally scheduled to last three days, in fact went on twice as long. The judge, in closing the hearings Wednesday morning, characterized the case as one of "major importance as a nationwide statute." In deciding the case, he said that he would "carry the burden" that the case requires.