Court strikes down state version of COPA

A Michigan court has shot down a state law based on a federal law still moving through the courts that prohibits Web sites from transmitting sexually explicit materials to minors. After a two-year court battle, a Michigan federal judge issued a permanent ban on enforcing its state law.

The Michigan statute is modeled after the federal Child Online Protection Act (COPA), which a federal appeals court has declared unconstitutional, saying it also restricts speech aimed at adults. The U.S. Justice Department is fighting to overturn that ruling, and the U.S. Supreme Court will consider the case.