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A US federal judge on Tuesday banned certain agencies and officials in President Joe Biden’s administration from meeting and communicating with social media companies to edit their content, according to a court filing.
The order came in response to a lawsuit filed by Republican attorneys general in Louisiana and Missouri, who alleged that US government officials went too far in efforts to encourage social media companies to address posts they worried might contribute to vaccine hesitancy during the Covid-19 pandemic. or overturn the election.
The ruling said government agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services and the FBI cannot speak to social media companies “for the purpose of soliciting, encouraging, pressuring, or inducing in any way the removal, deletion, suppression, or curtailment of content containing freedom of expression protected” under Clause Freedom of speech in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
A White House official said the Justice Department is reviewing the matter and will evaluate its options.
The suit was originally filed by former Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmidt and Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry. Schmidt, who was elected to the US Senate in November, took to Twitter to welcome the injunction, describing it as a win for free speech.
The order also named officials including Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorcas and Jane Easterly, who heads the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, in its restrictions.
Judge Terry Doty, in an order filed with the US District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, made some exceptions for communications between government officials and businesses, including warning about risks to national security and about criminal activity.
The injunction was first reported by The Washington Post.
Tuesday’s order marks a win for Republicans who have sued the Biden administration, saying it was using the coronavirus health crisis and the threat of disinformation as a pretext to rein in opinions that disagreed with the government.
US officials said they aimed to eliminate misinformation about Covid vaccines to reduce preventable deaths.
Meta Platforms, Twitter and Alphabet’s Facebook and Instagram did not respond to requests for comment.
The order came in response to a lawsuit filed by Republican attorneys general in Louisiana and Missouri, who alleged that US government officials went too far in efforts to encourage social media companies to address posts they worried might contribute to vaccine hesitancy during the Covid-19 pandemic. or overturn the election.
The ruling said government agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services and the FBI cannot speak to social media companies “for the purpose of soliciting, encouraging, pressuring, or inducing in any way the removal, deletion, suppression, or curtailment of content containing freedom of expression protected” under Clause Freedom of speech in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
A White House official said the Justice Department is reviewing the matter and will evaluate its options.
The suit was originally filed by former Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmidt and Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry. Schmidt, who was elected to the US Senate in November, took to Twitter to welcome the injunction, describing it as a win for free speech.
The order also named officials including Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorcas and Jane Easterly, who heads the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, in its restrictions.
Judge Terry Doty, in an order filed with the US District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, made some exceptions for communications between government officials and businesses, including warning about risks to national security and about criminal activity.
The injunction was first reported by The Washington Post.
Tuesday’s order marks a win for Republicans who have sued the Biden administration, saying it was using the coronavirus health crisis and the threat of disinformation as a pretext to rein in opinions that disagreed with the government.
US officials said they aimed to eliminate misinformation about Covid vaccines to reduce preventable deaths.
Meta Platforms, Twitter and Alphabet’s Facebook and Instagram did not respond to requests for comment.
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