In a groundbreaking decision, a Trump-appointed federal judge has issued a historic ruling, granting a partial injunction that restricts several Biden administration officials and government entities, including the Justice Department and the FBI, from colluding with major big tech companies to censor Americans on social media.
This injunction was prompted by a lawsuit filed by attorneys general from Louisiana and Missouri (with the assistance of The Gateway Pundit) who alleged that Biden administration officials and different government agencies were putting pressure on social media platforms to suspend user accounts or remove specific posts.
In the ruling issued on July 4, Judge Terry A. Doughty of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana stated that several government agencies, namely the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the U.S. State Department, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are restricted from engaging in various actions concerning social media companies.
The injunction explicitly prohibits the agencies and their personnel from engaging in any form of communication, be it through meetings, phone calls, emails, or text messages, with social media companies. This includes any attempts to urge, encourage, pressure, or induce the removal, deletion, suppression, or reduction of content that encompasses protected free speech.
Furthermore, the agencies are prohibited from flagging content on social media platforms and forwarding such posts to the companies, along with requests for action, such as removal or suppression of their reach.
Additionally, the injunction, which can be read here, prohibits the government from encouraging or inciting social media companies to modify their guidelines concerning the removal, suppression, or reduction of content that constitutes protected free speech.
(1) meeting with social-media companies for the purpose of urging, encouraging, pressuring, or inducing in any manner the removal, deletion, suppression, or reduction of content containing protected free speech posted on social-media platforms; (2) specifically flagging content or posts on social-media platforms and/or forwarding such to social-media companies urging, encouraging, pressuring, or inducing in any manner for removal, deletion, suppression, or reduction of content containing protected free speech; and (3) urging, encouraging, pressuring, or inducing in any manner social-media companies to change their guidelines for removing, deleting, suppressing, or reducing content containing protected free speech.
According to the White House, the Justice Department is currently exploring its options.
“This Administration has promoted responsible actions to protect public health, safety, and security when confronted by challenges like a deadly pandemic and foreign attacks on our elections,” the official said. “Our consistent view remains that social media platforms have a critical responsibility to take account of the effects their platforms are having on the American people, but make independent choices about the information they present.”
The judge’s order did include some exceptions, permitting government officials to contact social media companies in cases involving criminal activity or threats to national security, for the purpose of alerting them.
Additionally, the order permits contacts that notify social media companies regarding posts that aim to deceive voters about voting requirements or procedures. It also allows communication with companies concerning the suppression of posts that do not fall under protected free speech.
Here’s what people are saying:
Senator Eric Schmitt celebrated the decision, tweeting, “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.”
American author and publisher, Jeffrey A Tucker, wrote: “During the COVID-19 pandemic, a period perhaps best characterized by widespread doubt and uncertainty, the United States Government seems to have assumed a role similar to an Orwellian “Ministry of Truth.”
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey expressed his support for the decision through a series of social media posts.
“The Court has granted our motion to BLOCK top officials in the federal government from violating the First Amendment rights of millions of Americans. What a way to celebrate Independence Day,” he wrote.
