Emergency Application Filed To Supreme Court Over Red State’s Age Verification Digital ID Law

[Conservative Angle]

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An internet trade group that represents social media giants, including Meta, TikTok, and X, filed an emergency application to the U.S. Supreme Court to block a Mississippi law that requires age verification for social media users.

NetChoice urged the high court to reinstate a preliminary injunction against Mississippi’s I.D.-for-Speech law, HB 1126.

“This law violates First Amendment rights while manufacturing a cybersecurity nightmare for families that want to use social media. It will force every Mississippian—adults and minors alike—to surrender their personal information to access fully protected online speech and expose families to unprecedented risks,” NetChoice said in a release.

“Indeed, Americans are increasingly using social media to find basic information and news, but this law would burden that access and violate our rights,” it continued.

“Free speech is under attack, and NetChoice is fighting back. Social media is the modern printing press—it allows all Americans to share their thoughts and perspectives. And, until now, Mississippians could do the same free from government interference. But Mississippi’s censorship regime would upend the status quo by forcing people to provide their sensitive, personal information just to access fully protected speech online. That is a massive First Amendment violation,” said Paul Taske, Co-Director of the NetChoice Litigation Center.

“Its vague language also risks censoring a wide range of protected educational, historical, political and cultural content. Mississippi may think it knows best, but where free speech is concerned, the state does not get to force its views on individuals or families,” Taske continued.

“Just as the government can’t force you to provide identification to read a newspaper, the same holds true when that news is available online. Courts across the country agree with us: NetChoice has successfully blocked similar, unconstitutional laws in other states. We are confident the Supreme Court will agree, and we look forward to fighting to keep the internet safe and free from government censorship,” he added.

NetChoice Urges Supreme Court to Stop Mississippi From Censoring Free Speech Online

WASHINGTON—Today, NetChoice filed an emergency application to the U.S. Supreme Court, urging the justices to reinstate our preliminary injunction against Mississippi’s I.D.-for-Speech law, HB… pic.twitter.com/5oOsBSKGPy

— NetChoice (@NetChoice) July 21, 2025

More from NetChoice:

The dangerously vague language in Mississippi’s law forces websites into an impossible position: either over-censor a vast array of fully protected content or face massive fines and possible criminal penalties. Under these broad and unclear mandates, young people could be blocked from seeing anything from the U.S. Declaration of Independence, news and educational resources, entertainment and even religious content online without a government-mandated ID check.

This one-size-fits-all mandate strips decision-making power away from parents and gives it to the state while forcing children’s data into massive honeypots that will be targets for cybercriminals and predators.

There is no proper remedy for the loss of Americans’ First Amendment rights. We appreciate the opportunity to fight again for free expression online at the Supreme Court.

“Mississippi greenlit a law that forces everyone to use digital ID to access social media. No ID, no voice,” Reclaim The Net wrote.

“This is House Bill 1126: a wide-reaching age-verification law with few limits. The state would compel all users to prove identity and age before creating accounts. The law doesn’t carve out exceptions for protected speech. It doesn’t define what counts as ‘harmful content.’ It just hands the censorship stick to the state and says swing,” it continued.

Mississippi greenlit a law that forces everyone to use digital ID to access social media. No ID, no voice.

This is House Bill 1126: a wide-reaching age-verification law with few limits. The state would compel all users to prove identity and age before creating accounts. The… https://t.co/EsFaXE9W4y

— Reclaim The Net (@ReclaimTheNetHQ) July 29, 2025

The Hill has more:

The existing block had prevented Mississippi from enforcing the law against nine NetChoice members covered by the law: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X, Snapchat, Reddit, Pinterest, Nextdoor and Dreamwidth.

Justice Samuel Alito, who by default handles emergency requests arising from the 5th Circuit, ordered Mississippi to respond within a week. Alito could then act on the request alone or refer it to the full court for a vote.

Mississippi’s law requires social media companies to verify users’ age and require minors to have express consent from a parent or guardian to use the platform. Covered websites must also work to mitigate minors’ exposure to harmful material, and violations carry a $10,000 fine.

It was originally set to go into effect on July 1, 2024, the same day the Supreme Court decided NetChoice’s First Amendment challenges to Florida and Texas laws that regulate social media companies over accusations of political censorship.

The Florida and Texas disputes involve what is known as a facial challenge, meaning NetChoice argues the laws are unconstitutional across the board. The Supreme Court’s decision sent the cases back to lower courts with guidance for how to analyze the laws.

In Mississippi, however, the judge’s most recent injunction did not block the state’s law facially. An appointee of the younger former President Bush, U.S. District Judge Halil Suleyman Ozerden only blocked the state’s law as applied to NetChoice’s members, which involves a different First Amendment analysis.

NetChoice argued the 5th Circuit’s lack of explanation in lifting the judge’s order is sufficient reason on its own for the Supreme Court to intervene. And regardless, the trade group says the block is needed to protect free speech as the litigation progresses.

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