Supreme Court Clears the Way: Texas's App Store Accountability Act Is Now Enforceable
by: Max Landaw
On July 6, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to block Texas's App Store Accountability Act (SB 2420), denying emergency applications in two separate cases: Students Engaged in Advancing Texas v. Paxton and Computer & Communications Industry Association v. Paxton. The Court's orders were brief, unsigned, and issued without any noted dissent.
For app stores, developers, and businesses operating or offering apps in Texas, SB 2420 is now unambiguously enforceable, and there is no injunctive relief on the immediate horizon.
What This Means
The cases going up before the Supreme Court were applications for emergency orders to enjoin enforcement of SB 2420 on First Amendment grounds. While the district court stated that the law likely violated the First Amendment, Texas appealed, and on May 28, 2026, a Fifth Circuit panel stayed the injunction, allowing enforcement to resume while the appeal proceeded.
The Supreme Court did not rule on the merits of the First Amendment challenge. Rather, it ruled only on whether the law should be enforced while the appeal is pending. The case now returns to lower courts, which will decide the merits of Texas's appeal from the original injunction.
Who Does This Impact
For app store operators and developers doing business in Texas, the law is now live. This means all app developers offering their app in Texas need to be aware of requirements for age verification, parental consent for app downloads and in-app purchases, and developer-side rating and disclosure obligations. It should also be noted that as opposed to the typical comprehensive state privacy laws, enforcement of SB 2420 can come from not just Texas regulators but also in the form of a private right of action. The law itself states that a violation of SB 2420 constitutes a deceptive trade practice.
What to Watch Next
The constitutional challenges over SB 2420 are not over. On top of that, it is worth noting that 27 state attorneys general filed amicus briefs in the cases that went before the Supreme Court. This signals that other states may feel more confident in the constitutionality of such laws and pass their own version. Similar legislation to SB 2420 has already passed in Utah, Louisiana, and California.
Originally published by InfoLawGroup LLP. If you would like to receive regular emails from us, in which we share updates and our take on current legal news, please subscribe to InfoLawGroup’s Insights HERE. This summary does not constitute legal advice.