<P> In Packingham v. North Carolina ( 2017 ) , the Supreme Court held that a North Carolina law prohibiting registered sex offenders from accessing various websites impermissibly restricted lawful speech in violation of the First Amendment . The Court held that `` a fundamental principle of the First Amendment is that all persons have access to places where they can speak and listen , and then , after reflection , speak and listen once more . '' </P>
when did the supreme court first decide that the internet is protected by the first amendment
2017