U.S. District Judge Blocks Biden Administration From Contacting Social Media Companies

On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty blocked President Joe Biden’s administration from communicating with social media companies. The case was brought on by two Republican state attorneys who questioned the legality of efforts by administration officials to stop the spread of disinformation.

The attorneys general of Louisiana and Missouri are suing the Biden administration over a “campaign of censorship,” claiming that Biden “coordinated and colluded with social-media platforms to identify disfavored speakers, viewpoints, and content.”

The prosecution has acknowledged Biden’s communication with public and private social media companies about removing content related to Covid-19 and other public health measures, as well as other topics, deeming these actions as violations of the First Amendment.

According to Tuesday’s decision, Biden and his officials are not allowed to email, call, text or meet 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.”

The ruling comes as the 2024 presidential election is ramping up, as Biden is the Democratic frontrunner and Republicans are worried that, should he go toe-to-toe with GOP candidate Donald Trump, Biden will emerge victorious.

Although contact is limited, Biden administration officials are still able to communicate with social media platforms about criminal activity and national security threats.