Just like proving your age to buy alcohol, age verification to access porn poses no constitutional problems
Attorney General Todd Rokita co-leads SCOTUS brief ending contrived controversy
The First Amendment does not prevent states from requiring online purveyors of pornography to implement reasonable age-verification measures to protect children from harm. As co-leader of a 24-state coalition, Attorney General Todd Rokita pressed this point in an amicus brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court recently.
The court is considering a constitutional challenge to a Texas law requiring websites hosting large amounts of obscene material harmful to children to implement a reasonable age-verification system. That law is similar to an Indiana law passed by the General Assembly. It reflects that states have long had the authority to prevent minors from accessing obscene materials, including pornography.
“Not only do states have the authority to prevent pornography websites from providing children with hardcore porn, but they have a responsibility to do so,” Attorney General Rokita said. “The truth is that exposure to porn — much of which touts sexual violence — causes real harm to minors. It hurts them emotionally, intellectually, psychologically, sexually and socially. So, there are compelling reasons to prevent minors from viewing pornography. Children are a precious gift from God. As a public servant, I’ll always support parents in the mission to protect our kids.”
Many other adult industries — such as alcohol, gambling and tobacco — already employ age-verification technology.
The amicus brief — which Indiana is co-leading with Ohio — is attached.
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Attorney General Todd Rokita tells Tyson Foods to answer tough questions on employment of illegal aliens
AG Rokita says growing issue in Logansport is unfair to Hoosiers
Amid reported concerns about a largescale influx of illegal aliens and “legal migrants” into local communities, Attorney General Todd Rokita announced today that his office has sent a civil investigative demand (CID) to the Tyson Foods in Logansport seeking information related to human labor trafficking.
The CID states Attorney General Rokita’s office has reasonable cause to believe that Tyson Foods may be in possession, custody, or control of documentary materials or may have knowledge of facts that are relevant to an investigation being conducted concerning human labor trafficking and indecent nuisances.
“The vast number of additional people coming into our communities is alarming, and that’s just from the standpoint of seeing the staggering number of resources being put towards this fight – Every. Single. Day,” Attorney General Rokita said. “When you have an open border and an influx of people coming over illegally by the millions, we can’t have companies incentivizing this criminal behavior by offering jobs for cheap labor. It’s not fair to those looking for employment or to our law enforcement, local hospitals and healthcare facilities, taxpayers that fund these services, and our housing and labor markets. We will continue looking into this growing issue.”
Attorney General Rokita said his investigation is focused on the coordinated efforts among international and local nonprofit “refugee resettlement” organizations and employers, like Tyson Foods, to bring large numbers of migrants to Indiana.
On November 9, 2024, Attorney General Rokita announced he sent CIDs to Cass County Health Department, Logansport Community School Corp., Berry Global Group Inc., Tent Partnership for Refugees, God is Good, and Jackson County Industrial Development Corp. over this same growing issue.
Attorney General Rokita’s office is conducting these investigations pursuant to its authority under Indiana’s Deceptive Consumer Sales Act and indecent nuisance statute.
According to the CID, Tyson Foods must respond in writing by December 4, 2024.
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After failed response to horrendous sewer conditions, Attorney General Todd Rokita takes action against owner of Hubbard Gardens Apartments
Attorney General Todd Rokita announced that his office has filed a lawsuit against the owner of Hubbard Gardens Apartments in Indianapolis, alleging they failed to protect tenants against open sewer conditions and to properly maintain other essential systems.
During an inspection by Attorney General Rokita’s Homeowner Protection Unit on Sept. 27, his investigators found open sewer conditions, which were reported to the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Response Center. Residents said that the plumbing and sewage issues impacted them for months without a permanent remedy from the ownership.
“Hardworking Hoosiers who pay rent don’t deserve to live in these types of conditions and are being treated horribly by the owner of this complex,” Attorney General Rokita said. “Our office will continue standing up for tenants’ rights and working to hold this bad actor accountable.”
The lawsuit alleges that Hubbard Gardens Apartments was enveloped in at least 89 litigation cases with violations of local health and housing code brought by the Marion County Public Health Department from Jan. 1, 2023, to Oct. 4, 2024. The violations state a failure to ensure basic occupancy standards due to severe plumbing issues, including flooding of tenant apartments and common areas with raw sewage. The lawsuit demands a jury trial, costs of prosecution, and other damages against the defendant for multiple violations of the Deceptive Consumer Sales Act.
The lawsuit is linked below.
Any tenants who have been adversely affected by the alleged actions of the owner of Hubbard Garden Apartments are asked to file a consumer complaint or contact our Homeowner Protection Unit at [email protected] for further information. Consumers can file a complaint by visiting indianaconsumer.com or calling 1-800-382-5516.
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