Biden administration violated First Amendment over COVID-19 content on social media, court of appeals rules

September 8, 2023

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry called the ruling a 'major win against censorship'

The Biden administration "ran afoul" of the First Amendment by trying to pressure social media platforms over controversial COVID-19 content, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans ruled Friday.

In its 75-page ruling, the appeals court panel, made up of two George W. Bush nominees and one Trump nominee, said that President Biden, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the FBI and the surgeon general cannot "coerce" social media platforms to remove content it deems problematic.

However, in its ruling, the court threw out language from a Louisiana judge in July who had ruled that the government could not contact social media platforms to urge them to take content down.

Under the new ruling, the administration has 10 days to seek a Supreme Court review.

moar: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-administration-violated-first-amendment-covid-19-content-social-media-court-appeals-rules