Supreme Court Strikes Down Ban on "Virtual" Child Porn

The Supreme Court struck down a federal ban on "virtual" child pornography, holding that the law was so broadly worded it would suppress not only images that harm children but also legitimate artistic or political expression. At issue was a 1996 law aimed at cracking down on computer-generated child pornography by prescribing prison terms for those who distribute or possess images that "appear to be" of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, or who sell images by "convey[ing] the impression" that they contain child sex.