DC Circuit FOSTA Ruling Lets a Bad Law Stay on the Books, But Offers Meaningful Protection for Some Sex Work Forums and Sex Workers Using Online Services

The Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on July 7 affirmed the dismissal of Woodhull Freedom Foundation v. US, the constitutional challenge to FOSTA. That’s certainly disappointing: this bad law will now stay on the books.

But the good news is that FOSTA stays on the books in a more limited manner: the court sharply narrowed FOSTA to address the arguments that its overly broad reach criminalized protected speech and caused a massive chilling effect on online speech. …