A preliminary injunction prohibiting federal agents from contacting social media platforms to censor content that contains protected speech was issued on Wednesday, and the Biden administration appealed it.
After finding that the plaintiffs in the free speech case Missouri v. Biden, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, and Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, had produced "evidence of a massive effort by Defendants, from the White House to federal agencies, to suppress speech based on its content," Western District of Louisiana Judge Terry A. Doughty issued the injunction on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the Biden administration filed an appeal with the Fifth Circuit regarding the injunction.
The injunction forbade federal officials from communicating with social media platforms "for the purpose of urging, encouraging, pressuring, or inducing in any manner the removal, deletion, suppression, or reduction of content containing protected free speech," including those from the Department of Health and Human Services and the FBI.
Although the case is still in its early stages and the court is only considering the plaintiffs' chances of winning on the merits at this time, Doughty wrote that the evidence so far has painted a picture that is almost dystopian. The United States government appears to have taken on a role resembling an Orwellian "Ministry of Truth" during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time that was probably best characterized by widespread skepticism and uncertainty.
In March, Landry and Bailey submitted a motion for a temporary restraining order. The filing outlined more than 1,400 facts that, according to documents the attorneys general gained access to as a result of the lawsuit, demonstrate that officials engaged in social media censorship activities.
After finding that the plaintiffs in the free speech case Missouri v. Biden, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, and Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, had produced "evidence of a massive effort by Defendants, from the White House to federal agencies, to suppress speech based on its content," Western District of Louisiana Judge Terry A. Doughty issued the injunction on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the Biden administration filed an appeal with the Fifth Circuit regarding the injunction.
The injunction forbade federal officials from communicating with social media platforms "for the purpose of urging, encouraging, pressuring, or inducing in any manner the removal, deletion, suppression, or reduction of content containing protected free speech," including those from the Department of Health and Human Services and the FBI.
Although the case is still in its early stages and the court is only considering the plaintiffs' chances of winning on the merits at this time, Doughty wrote that the evidence so far has painted a picture that is almost dystopian. The United States government appears to have taken on a role resembling an Orwellian "Ministry of Truth" during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time that was probably best characterized by widespread skepticism and uncertainty.
In March, Landry and Bailey submitted a motion for a temporary restraining order. The filing outlined more than 1,400 facts that, according to documents the attorneys general gained access to as a result of the lawsuit, demonstrate that officials engaged in social media censorship activities.
