Roberts Confirmed as Chief Justice

WASHINGTON — Judge John Roberts will be sworn in later today as chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court after being confirmed in a 78-22 vote.

Roberts is widely considered a hard-line conservative, and there has been rampant speculation in the adult industry press regarding how he might rule on cases that involve free speech and other issues directly affecting the industry.

During confirmation hearings, Roberts was cagey when questioned about his opinions about pornography, but did admit when pressed that he felt the Supreme Court has established that the constitution affords less protection for pornographic speech than other forms of expression.

Roberts' confirmation was put on the fast track after the death of Chief Justice William Rehnquist in early September. President Bush’s next order of business is selecting a nominee to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

CNN has reported that administration officials say Bush will announce his nominee to replace O'Connor as soon as Friday.

When asked by reporters last week on live television whether he had decided on a nominee, Bush looked across the cabinet table at U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and joked, “I think the attorney general would have something to say about that.”

Gonzales downplayed the significance of the comment when asked about it later, saying, “Of course, I do think about who the president should nominate. But I do so from my perspective as attorney general, as advisor to this president in helping him make a decision that is best for the court and that is best for this country.”

If Gonzales were selected to sit on the bench, it could add an interesting twist to cases involving the adult entertainment industry.

Because Gonzales has been intimately involved in the drafting of amended 2257 record-keeping regulations and the establishment of an FBI task force on pornography, he would likely have to recuse himself from cases revolving around prosecutions against adult companies.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

FSC: Missouri Age Verification Rule Will Not Take Effect August 30

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) announced that Missouri's proposed age verification legislation will not take effect on August 30, as it had originally estimated.

Germany Will Block Payments to AV-Noncompliant Adult Sites as of Dec. 1

Starting Dec. 1, Germany will implement new rules prohibiting financial institutions from providing payment services to adult sites deemed to have inadequate age verification systems and making it easier for the government to target websites mirroring the content of such sites.

FSC Launches Age Verification Toolkit for Adult Websites

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) announced today that it has launched a comprehensive toolkit to help adult websites navigate age verification laws.

Trump Administration Issues Executive Order Against 'Debanking'

The White House on Thursday issued an executive order limiting financial institutions’ ability to restrict access to financial services for people or groups involved in lawful industries, a longtime goal of adult industry advocates and stakeholders.

Florida AG Sues EU-Based Adult Companies for Failing to Age-Verify Users

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a lawsuit Monday with the 12th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida against five EU-based adult companies for allegedly failing to require age verification before allowing access to adult content.

Arcom Warns 5 Adult Sites Over Age Verification

French media regulator Arcom has sent enforcement notices to the operators of five adult websites that the agency says have failed to implement age verification as required under France’s Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law.

FSC: Identity Theft Targeting Adult Performers

The Free Speech Coalition has issued an alert warning of an individual found to be targeting adult performers for identity theft.

European Commission to Assess Pornhub, XVideos, XNXX Compliance With Digital Services Act

The European Commission plans to conduct a study to determine how well adult sites Pornhub, XVideos and XNXX are addressing illegal content and other potential harms under the EU’s Digital Services Act.

German Higher Court Upholds Ban on PornHub, YouPorn

The Higher Administrative Court of Rhineland-Palatinate on Thursday upheld a “network ban” on Aylo-owned adult sites Pornhub and YouPorn for failing to comply with German age verification regulations.

Alabama Notifying Adult Sites of New Tax Set to Take Effect Sept. 1

The Alabama Department of Revenue has begun sending notices to adult site operators about a new 10% tax on their revenues, set to be enforced starting Sept. 1.

Show More