A coalition of 27 state attorneys general has joined Texas in urging the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the state's App Store Accountability Act to remain in effect while a legal challenge moves through the courts.
The attorneys general filed an amicus brief on June 23 supporting Texas after two organizations—Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT) and the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA)—asked the Supreme Court to block enforcement of Senate Bill 2420 during ongoing litigation.
The law, authored by state Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, and sponsored in the Texas House by state Rep. Caroline Fairly, R-Amarillo, requires app store operators to verify users' ages. It also requires parental approval before minors under 18 can download apps or make purchases through an app store.
SEAT and CCIA filed suit in October 2025, several months before the law was scheduled to take effect in January 2026. The groups argue that the measure violates the First Amendment by restricting access to constitutionally protected speech. They contend the law reaches far beyond adult content and instead affects access to a broad range of lawful digital material. The plaintiffs also maintain that existing parental controls and less restrictive alternatives make the legislation unnecessary.
The challenge differs from an earlier Texas age-verification case involving websites that publish sexually explicit material harmful to minors. In June 2025, the Supreme Court upheld that separate law in a 6-3 ruling, but the plaintiffs argue the App Store Accountability Act presents fundamentally different constitutional questions because it applies to general app marketplaces rather than websites containing explicit content.
In December 2025, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman temporarily blocked enforcement of the law after concluding the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on their constitutional claims.
Earlier this month, however, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit granted Texas' request to stay Pitman's injunction while the appeal proceeds, allowing the law to take effect during the litigation. The appellate court determined that the balance of equities and public interest favored the state.
SEAT subsequently filed an emergency application asking the Supreme Court to overturn the Fifth Circuit's decision. The organization argues Texas has not demonstrated sufficient evidence that minors' access to harmful online content requires the broad restrictions imposed by the statute.
In response, the coalition of attorneys general, led by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, argued that states have both a compelling interest in protecting children from online harms and a responsibility to safeguard parents' authority over decisions involving their children. The brief contends that Senate Bill 2420 primarily regulates commercial transactions between app stores and consumers rather than protected speech. It also argues that voluntary parental controls have proven insufficient and that the law strengthens parental oversight of children's digital activity.
Fairly welcomed the multistate support, describing it as a significant show of backing for efforts to improve online safety for minors and reinforce parental rights in the digital marketplace.
Not everyone agrees. State Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian, one of the few House Republicans who opposed the legislation, continues to criticize the law. Harrison argues it expands government authority, limits parental choice, and raises concerns about digital identification, privacy, data collection, and potential government surveillance. He has renewed calls for the Texas Legislature to repeal the law during a special legislative session.
