William F. Buckley Jr.

As part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Congress passed a provision known as the Communications Decency Act (CDA), which was designed to protect children from pornography on the Internet. In 1997 the Supreme Court ruled the CDA unconstitutional. In the following viewpoint, William F. Buckley Jr. argues that the Supreme Court made a serious mistake in overturning the CDA. He believes that, although the Internet is an important technological tool, pornography on the Internet is harmful and should be kept out of the reach of children. Buckley is the founder and editor of National Review, a conservative journal.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. On what basis does Buckley oppose Justice Stevens’s opinion that the Internet will do more good than harm?
2. What does the author mean by the “utilitarian...