WASHINGTON, D.C., June 27, 2025—Brent Leatherwood, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, commends the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling on the Texas free speech case, Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton. The Supreme Court’s decision upheld a Texas law that requires online age verification for pornographic and obscene websites as an appropriate means of protecting children from pornography.
“Combatting the porn industry on behalf of kids is constitutional. That’s the takeaway from today’s decision upholding a common sense law that protects children from harmful pornographic materials,” said Brent Leatherwood, president of ERLC. “Age-verification requirements are an entirely appropriate and constitutional tool in a digital age. Moreover, they represent the bare minimum we should expect in a nation that wants its youngest generations protected from a predatory and dehumanizing industry. Upholding this law opens an avenue for other states and the federal government to develop smart policies that create a healthier online environment—an environment that prioritizes the family and respects human dignity. We urge lawmakers to do so swiftly.”
The ERLC filed a brief, in conjunction with both the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC) and the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT). The brief argued that the Texas law did not violate the First Amendment, but rather fulfilled the state’s constitutional obligation to protect children. The brief stated, “[The First Amendment] was not originally understood to protect obscene expression, especially when such expression might be received by minors.”
At this year’s SBC annual meeting in Dallas, Leatherwood presented a resolution, “On Banning Pornography.” In the resolution, he outlined the unbiblical and exploitative nature of pornography and called on federal and state legislators to take further legal actions toward banning pornography.
The Supreme Court’s decision is a major win for Southern Baptists, who have long stood in opposition to pornography. The Court’s ruling allows the 21 other states with similar laws to continue their age-verification efforts. Furthermore, Southern Baptists have time and again passed resolutions that argue the government has proper authority and ought to protect children from accessing pornography and other explicit content online.
