1. United States
2. Letter

I'm writing tonight to ask you to please apply strict scrutiny to Texas' age verification law. Age verification is not the simple fix that it is purported to be by its proponents. The decision that is made could go on to be applied to other areas of civil rights and freedoms, such as freedom of religion. If rational basis is the norm for laws like these, political speech on the conservative side or religious speech could be subject to age verification laws preventing citizens from accessing that speech, because it was ruled to be a necessary basis for censorship. Imagine that not long after the rational basis test was applied to pro-life sites, or sites related to religion or conservative views because an opposing party in power decided it was reasonable to block kids from being subjected to conservative views or the Bible, which does have speech not suitable for kids, as it details murder, genocide, graphic sex and other unsavory things. The coin could easily flip and the groups advocating for weakened scrutiny today would bemoan it tomorrow. Please rule in favor of strict scrutiny and against the Fifth Circuit.