Court rules Biden administration engaged in illegal censorship — now what?

Article originally appeared on www.washingtonexaminer.com.

The Biden administration has again lost a First Amendment case, curtailing its efforts to address what it deems to be hate speech or misinformation.

As a wider debate rages over free speech and the limits of government power, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ruled Friday that the Biden White House and some government agencies went too far in trying to influence how social media companies regulate their platforms.

The questions now are how the administration will react and whether it will appeal to the Supreme Court.

White House officials coerced social media companies about election information in 2020 and vaccine efficacy during the COVID-19 pandemic, with then-press secretary Jen Psaki bragging in July 2021 that “we’re flagging problematic posts for Facebook.”

But courts have ruled the effort goes too far. On July 4 of this year, Judge Terry A. Doughty issued a preliminary injunction blocking Biden officials from even contacting social media companies.

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