The ACLU and the Child Online Protection Act The Child Online Protection Act (COPA) was approved by Congress on August 16, 1998. It is the purpose of this essay to demonstrate how the ACLU destroyed this family-oriented act. Immediately after COPA was signed by the President, the American Civil Liberties Union and a coalition of groups representing publishers, Internet Service Providers, journalists, and the technology industry challenged the law in the United States District Court for the …showed first 75 words of 555 total…

…showed last 75 words of 555 total…viewing of minors in commercial and public places. On February 1, 1999 Judge Reed issued a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the law, holding, "Plaintiffs have established a likelihood of success on the merits, irreparable harm, and the balance of interests, including the interest of the public, weighs in favor of enjoining the enforcement of this statute pending a trial on the merits." WORKS CITED: ACLU v. Reno, No. 98-CV-5591. http://www.aclu.org/court/renovacludec.html