Preliminary injunction granted June 30, 2024, then stayed by the Seventh Circuit on August 16, 2024; the law has remained enforceable, and the Supreme Court's June 2025 Paxton decision removed the legal basis for the block
Indiana SB 17 (Age Verification)
BadLawIN SB 17
Indiana, United States
Indiana, United StatesIn force since August 2024; injunction stayed on appealHigh threat
- Introduced
- Passed Senate
- Passed House
- Became Law
Indiana's adult-site age check, in force since an appeals court stayed the 2024 injunction against it.
Latest update
Supreme Court's Paxton ruling upheld identical Texas law
Current position
In force since August 2024; injunction stayed on appeal
What it does
Indiana SB 17 makes any adult-oriented website with more than a third material harmful to minors verify visitors are 18 using a government digital ID or a third-party check of a driver's license or state ID number. The Attorney General can seek an injunction and civil penalties up to $250,000, and a parent whose child was harmed can also sue.
Why it matters
Indiana is the patchwork's clearest legal arc. A federal judge blocked the law in 2024 as facially unconstitutional, then the Supreme Court upheld an identical Texas statute in 2025 and pulled the reasoning out from under that injunction.
Our take
Indiana lost the first round when Judge Young called the law facially unconstitutional, then the Supreme Court handed the states the win in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton. The lesson every legislature took from Indiana is that the courts stopped being an obstacle.
Timeline
Supreme Court's Paxton ruling upheld identical Texas law
LatestSeventh Circuit stayed the injunction, allowing enforcement
Federal judge blocked it as unconstitutional
Signed into law
Sponsors
Sen. Mike Bohacek, Sen. Liz Brown
Votes
- Senate — Passed (44 to 1) · January 18, 2024
- House — Passed (92 to 2) · February 27, 2024
- Senate — Concurred (46 to 2) · March 4, 2024