State Supreme Court hears case on library Internet filters
File photo By Associated Press
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - The state Supreme Court was set to hear arguments Tuesday on whether it's constitutional for public libraries to refuse to disable their Internet filters for adults who want access to sites that have been blocked.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington filed the lawsuit against the five-county North Central Regional Library District in Eastern Washington in 2006, seeking to have the district ordered to provide unblocked access to the Internet when adults request it. The ACLU is representing three library users and the pro-gun Second Amendment Foundation in the case that the U.S. District Court in Spokane has asked the state Supreme Court to review. The lawsuit contends the library's policy of refusing to disable its Internet filters when requested for lawful purposes is unconstitutional and goes beyond what federal law requires. The ACLU says the sites that were blocked were legal sites, including YouTube and a Web site that encouraged people to commit random acts of kindness. Libraries that receive funds for Internet access under two specific federal programs are required to have the ability to block minors from seeing pornography. The library system says it also blocks sites about computer hacking, gambling, and personal ads on Craigslist, among others. Libraries are able to disable those filters if requested to do so by an adult, but the library district, based in Wenatchee, says federal law does not require that requests to remove filters be granted. The district has 28 branch libraries in Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, Grant and Okanogan counties. The plaintiffs include a Ferry County woman who wanted to do research on tobacco use by youth; a professional photographer blocked from using YouTube and from researching art galleries and health issues; and an Okanogan man unable to access his blog, as well information relating to gun use by hunters. The Bellevue-based Second Amendment Foundation contends the library district blocked online access to Women & Guns, a magazine it sponsors covering topics such as self-defense and recreational shooting. --- The case is Sarah Bradburn v. North Central Regional Library District, No. 82200-0. |
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