Freedom of Speech?

Federal Judge Limits Federal Government's Contact With Social Media Companies

The latest ruling is one of many legal efforts by Republicans to block the government's interactions with social media companies.

In another legal victory for Republicans, a federal court in Louisiana has limited the Biden administration’s communication with social-media platforms, according to The New York Times. In the ruling, Judge Terry A. Doughty says that several government agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, cannot contact tech 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.” However, the government can alert social-media platforms about national security threats or foreign efforts to influence elections. The ruling comes from just one of several lawsuits from conservatives accusing Democrats of censoring critics of the current administration online.