The Challenge to New York's Internet Censorship Law

ACLU Staff Attorney Ann Beeson questions ACLU Associate Director Barry Steinhardt on the impact of New York's Internet censorship law.

Case Materials

Legal Documents

• Judge Preska's Final Ruling Granting a Preliminary Injunction     
• Plaintiff's Reply Brief in ALA v. Pataki, filed March 21, 1997           
• Complaint  in ALA v. Pataki           
• Motion for Preliminary Injunction  in ALA v. Pataki  

Court Transcripts  April 3-7

• April 3, Day One  
  • Plaintiff lawyers Christopher Hansen  and  Ann Beeson , ACLU; Michael Hertz and Anat Hakim, Latham & Watkins (pro-bono attorneys).      
  • For the Defendants: Michael McCartney, Investigator, Office of the Attorney General, Buffalo, New York
• April 4, Day Two       
  • For the Plaintiffs:  Diane Kovacs , computer consultant (Mrs. Kovacs will present a live Internet demonstration to the court.
• April 7, Day Three  
• For the Plaintiffs: 
  • Matthew Ehrlich, host of LAMBDA conference on ECHO           
  • Rudolf Kinsky, artist and member of Art on the Net           
  • Maurice Friedman, executive director, Westchester Library System           
  • Barry Steinhardt, associate director, American Civil Liberties Union

Expert Witnesses 

• Bill Burrington, America Online    
• Gerald Michalski, managing editor, Release 1.0

Plaintiff Declarations 

• Judith Krug, director of the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom     
• Lile Elam, Art on the Net        
• Stacy Horn, ECHO     
• Bennett Haselton, Peacefire       
• Oren Teicher, American Booksellers Association          
• Lawrence Kaufman, Magazine Publishers Association           
• Alexis Rosen, PANIX     
• Todd Sowers, NYC Net

Press Releases

06/20/1997 -- New York Judge Prohibits State Regulation of Internet
04/18/1997 -- NY's Internet Censorship Law Crosses State Lines, Violating Commerce Clause and Free Speech Rights
04/09/1997 -- Witnesses Describe Internet Censorship Fears to Court; Oral Argument Set for April 22
04/03/1997 -- New York Courtroom Gets Wired As Groups Present Evidence In Challenge to State Cyber-Censorship Law

Press Conference Materials

Pictured left to right: Nancy Kranich, ALA, Glenn Haumann, Bibliobytes, Ann Beeson, ACLU, Norman Siegel, NYCLU, Maurice Friedman, Westchester Library System, and Shabbir Safdar, Voters Telecommunications Watch 
(Photo by Emily Whitfield)