Article -New York Times

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effect on free speech." But Justice Department lawyers, defending the law, argued that its language is clear enough to apply only to sites that exist to promote pornography. Furthermore, said one of the lawyers, Rupa Bhattacharyya, "The First Amendment allows you to speak freely; it does not necessarily guarantee you a profit to speak." The law requires operators of commercial Web sites to bar those under 17 years of age from any sexually explicit material defined as "harmful to minors." Violators face penalties of up to 6 months in prison and $50,000 in fines. Judge Reed is expected to issue a decision sometime Monday before the midnight expiration of a temporary restraining order that has blocked the law from being enforced. The law was signed last October by President Clinton, but it has never gone into effect. In response to one of the judge's questions, Christopher A. Hansen, another lawyer for the ACLU, which is challenging the law with 16 other groups and businesses, ...

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