A federal judge has blocked Biden administration officials from contacting social media companies to discuss how to moderate their content. The ruling, which was issued by a Trump-appointed judge, is a major victory for conservatives who have accused the Biden administration of trying to censor conservative voices on social media.
The injunction came in response to a lawsuit brought by two Republican attorneys general who “produced evidence of a massive effort by Defendants, from the White House to federal agencies, to suppress speech based on its content,” said U.S. Judge Terry A. Doughty.
They alleged that the Biden administration had been pressuring social media companies to remove or suppress content that it deemed to be “misinformation” or “disinformation.” The attorneys general argued that this was a violation of the First Amendment.
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) said, “White House officials, CDC & others are stopped cold. We need to continue the fight to take down the Vast Censorship Enterprise. Their view of ‘misinformation’ isn’t an excuse to censor. This is the most important free speech case in a generation. Freedom is on the march.”
The judge agreed with the attorneys general, ruling that the Biden administration had not shown a legitimate government interest in contacting social media companies about their content moderation policies. The judge also found that the administration’s actions were likely to chill free speech on social media.
The ruling is a major setback for the Biden administration, which has been trying to crack down on “misinformation” on social media. The administration has argued that it needs to work with social media companies to prevent the spread of false information that could harm public health or interfere with elections.
However, the ruling suggests that the Biden administration may have overstepped its authority. The First Amendment protects the right to free speech, even if that speech is false or misleading. The government cannot censor speech simply because it disagrees with it.
The ruling is a victory for conservatives who have long accused social media companies of censoring conservative voices. The ruling sends a message to social media companies that they cannot be coerced by the government to censor content.
🚨BREAKING: A Federal Judge in Missouri v. Biden just granted a preliminary injunction prohibiting the FBI, DOJ, DHS & other agencies from working with Big Tech to censor on social media
Big win for the First Amendment on this Independence Day🇺🇸
I’m proud to have led the fight. pic.twitter.com/59FzDVuI4f
— Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) July 4, 2023
