Upheld 6 to 3 at the Supreme Court, June 2025
Texas HB 1181 (Age Verification)
BadLawTX HB 1181
Texas, United States
Texas, United StatesEnacted; upheld by the US Supreme CourtHigh threat
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- Became Law
Requires age verification to view adult content, the law the Supreme Court used to greenlight online ID checks.
Latest update
Upheld by the US Supreme Court in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton
Current position
Enacted; upheld by the US Supreme Court
What it does
Texas HB 1181 makes sites with a lot of adult content verify visitors are 18, using government ID or a commercial age-check service. It became the test case for whether a state can require ID to reach lawful online content.
Why it matters
The Supreme Court upheld it in June 2025. That ruling opened the door to a wave of state age-verification and online ID laws reaching well past adult sites.
Our take
The ruling counts far more than one Texas law. By accepting that a state can require ID to view lawful content, the Court handed every legislature a template, and the same checkpoints are now being written for social media and app stores.
Timeline
Upheld by the US Supreme Court in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton
LatestSigned into Texas law
Sponsor
Texas Legislature
Votes
- House — Final passage (141 to 0) · May 9, 2023
- Senate — Final passage (31 to 0) · May 19, 2023