Tears of Scrutiny

"I'm on laughing gas. And two, there's a Kleenex box with a dead bird on my dining room table."

Published May 2, 2024 • Updated May 20, 2024

It’s a silent spring in Texas as Pornhub pulls out of the state in an act of protest over a law requiring age verification measures. Sarah and David go through the legal battle between the explicit site and Texas AG Ken Paxton.

The Agenda:

—Sarah’s high

—Texas law requiring age verification to access pornography online

—The tiers of scrutiny in constitutional law

—The role of text, history, and tradition

—Going through the Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023

—Understanding the differences between Medicare and Medicaid can be challenging, even for lawmakers

Show Notes:

—Sarah’s Remnant episode

—Jacobellis v. Ohio

—Ginsberg v. New York

—Ashcroft v. ACLU

—Child Online Protection Act

—Wickard v. Filburn Wilker

—United States v. Carolene Products Company

—David for NYT: Ban Online Porn for Kids

—David for NYT: One Party Has a Serious Foreign Policy Problem. The Other Has a Tantrum.

—A class-action lawsuit against Columbia

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Sarah Isgur

Sarah Isgur is a senior editor at The Dispatch and is based in northern Virginia. Prior to joining the company in 2019, she had worked in every branch of the federal government and on three presidential campaigns. When Sarah is not hosting podcasts or writing newsletters, she’s probably sending uplifting stories about spiders to Jonah, who only pretends to love all animals.

David French

David French is a columnist for the New York Times. He’s a former senior editor of The Dispatch. He’s the author most recently of Divided We Fall: America's Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation.