Ex-Attorney General Calls for Porn Commission

MARINA DEL RAY, Calif. — Edward Meese, former Attorney General under Ronald Reagan, helped organize the U.S Government’s first in-depth study into pornography back in 1985. Twenty years, later he’s calling for another study to assess porn’s imminent “dangers.”

According to Meese, who was interviewed by the public affairs program Full Disclosure Network on Dec. 24, the original “Attorney General’s Commission on Pornography” worked for more than a year to produce an exhaustive study on the effects of sexual content in the 1980s.

It’s findings, according to Meese, were anything but sexy.

“The Commission showed three things,” Meese said. “First, it provided a much more extensive analysis of the harm of pornography than ever before. Secondly, it revealed the close relationship between pornography and organized crime. And third, it revealed the pervasiveness of porn in our society.”

During the interview, which was conducted by Emmy Award winning host Leslie Dutton, Meese said it was time for the government to conduct another study of pornography, one that would take into account the power of the Internet.

“We need a commission or some other body to do a comprehensive look at Internet pornography in the same way the commission looked at it as it was then being distributed [in the 1980s],” Meese said.

Such a study, according to Meese, would point out the harm perpetuated by “special interest groups” in this country who support pornography.

“Today you have special interest groups like librarians who seem to be opposed to having protections for children in libraries,” Meese said, adding that without new restrictions libraries could “become the principal ways in which Internet porn is distributed.”

Meese called for a new comprehensive look at pornography.

“We need to have a commission or some similar body make recommendations for legislation and regulations that would protect children primarily and also prevent illegal porn, both adult and child, from being widely distributed, particularly through public sources.”

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Florida Attorney General Dismisses AV Suit Against Segpay

The Florida attorney general’s office on Monday agreed to dismiss claims against payment processor Segpay in a lawsuit over alleged noncompliance with the state’s age verification law.

FTC Weighs Reboot of 'Click to Cancel' Rulemaking Process

The Federal Trade Commission has invited public comments on a petition to renew trade regulation rulemaking concerning negative option plans, after a federal court previously vacated a “click-to-cancel” rule aimed at making it easier for consumers to cancel online subscriptions.

New Federal Bills Aim to Repeal Section 230

Members of Congress this week introduced two bills calling for the repeal of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects interactive computer services — including adult platforms — from liability for user-generated content.

House of Lords Approves UK Plan to Outlaw 'Choking' Content

The House of Lords, the U.K.’s upper house of Parliament, has agreed to amendments to the pending Crime and Policing Bill that would make depicting “choking” in pornography illegal and designate it a “priority offense” under the Online Safety Act.

Indiana Sues Aylo Over AV, Calls IP Address Blocking 'Insufficient'

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has filed a lawsuit against Aylo, alleging that the company and its affiliates have violated both Indiana’s age verification law and the state’s Deceptive Consumer Sales Act.

House Committee Amends, Advances Federal AV Bill

A U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee voted Thursday to amend the SCREEN Act, which would make site-based age verification of users seeking to access adult content federal law, and to advance the bill for review by the full Committee on Energy and Commerce.

FSC Announces Board of Directors Election Results

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has announced the results of its 2026/2027 Board of Directors election.

Report: AVS Group Beefs Up AV After $1.3 Million Fine

Adult content provider AVS Group has begun to institute robust age checks on some of its websites after U.K. media regulator Ofcom last week imposed a penalty of approximately $1.3 million for noncompliance with Online Safety Act regulations, the BBC is reporting.

FSC: Federal Report Confirms Unfair Banking Discrimination Against Adult Industry

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) today announced that a federal report on debanking has concluded that several U.S. banks engaged in discriminatory banking practices against members of the adult industry.

FSC Summit Event Schedule Announced

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has revealed its slate of networking events and symposiums for its annual summit, set for January 15 during XBIZ 2026.

Show More