Washington – In response to an emergency request, the Supreme Court has decided not to intervene in an Appeals Court ruling allowing Texas to enforce its App Store law. The law requires people to show government ID or other proof of age before downloading apps and requires parental consent for minors to download apps and app content. It also imposes burdensome requirements on app developers to age rate their content.
The Computer & Communications Industry Association had asked the Supreme Court of the United States for an emergency ruling to block Texas from enforcing its age verification requirements on all app stores and app store users until a Constitutional challenge to Texas’ SB2420 is fully heard. The brief notes that the Texas app store law, the “App Store Accountability Act”, violates the First Amendment because it imposes government controls over protected speech and access to lawful information through age verification and parental consent requirements.
Federal District Court Judge Robert Pitman blocked the App Store Accountability Act on December 23, 2025, concluding that the law likely violates the First Amendment and must not be enforced. Texas appealed that preliminary injunction and also sought to stay – or lift – the injunction. In June, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed to lift the injunction that prevented the Texas law from taking effect.
The Supreme Court emergency ruling means that Texas can enforce its app store law until a lower court can fully hear and decide whether to permanently strike SB2420. An expedited hearing is expected in August.
CCIA is suing the State of Texas arguing its App Store law would impose an unconstitutional, sweeping age-verification, parental consent, and compelled speech regime on both app stores and app developers.
The following can be attributed to CCIA President & CEO Matt Schruers:
“We look forward to an expedited hearing before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in early August to demonstrate how Texas’ App Store Accountability Act violates the First Amendment. People should not have to turn over personal data to access the internet any more than they should show government identification to enter a bookstore.”
