ALAWON v5n85 (December 9, 1996) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/alawon/alawon-v5n85.txt ------------------- ALWN585.ASC follows -------------------- ================================================================= ALAWON Volume 5, Number 85 ISSN 1069-7799 December 9, 1996 American Library Association Washington Office Newsline In this issue: (60 lines) SUPREME COURT TO REVIEW CDA CHALLENGE _________________________________________________________________ The following is a press release issued by ALA's Public Information Office: SUPREME COURT TO REVIEW CDA CHALLENGE The U.S. Supreme Court announced Friday, December 6, that it will hear the government's appeal of a landmark legal challenge to the Communications Decency Act passed last February by Congress. The case, which will determine the future of freedom of speech in cyberspace, is expected to be heard in late March or early April. "Many people turn to public libraries for access to electronic information. Our concern is that decency is not defined in the Act and we need a definition," said Judith F. Krug, director of the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom. "Otherwise librarians are forced to self-censor or go off-line. Neither alternative is acceptable. We are very pleased the Supreme Court has granted full review of the case." A special panel of three federal judges in Philadelphia ruled the Act unconstitutional in June in a suit filed by the Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition which represents 27 organizations concerned about the future of the Internet, including the Freedom To Read Foundation, on-service providers, publishers, journalists and others. The lead plaintiff is the American Library Association (ALA). The coalition's challenge, also known as ALA v. DOJ, was consolidated with a separate lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and 20 other plaintiffs, ACLU v. Reno. The cases were argued together in Philadelphia and the legal teams continue to work together as co-plaintiffs in the Supreme Court phase. _________________________________________________________________ ALAWON is a free, irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office. To subscribe, send the message "subscribe ala-wo [your_firstname] [your_lastname]" to . ALAWON archives gopher.ala.org; select ALA Washington Office Newsline. Visit our Web site at . ALA Washington Office 202.628.8410 (V) 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, #403 202.628.8419 (F) Washington, DC 20004-1701 Lynne E. Bradley, Editor All materials subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits. =================================================================