Appeals Court Partially Lifts Injunction Barring Biden Officials from Urging Social Media to Remove False COVID and Election Claims

Appeals court limited injunction restricting Biden administration communications with social media companies over controversial content.
Injunction originally blocked multiple agencies from urging platforms to take down false COVID-19 and election claims.
Appeals court upheld injunction but narrowed it to just White House, CDC, surgeon general and FBI.
Lawsuit brought by Republican AGs claims administration illegally pressured companies to suppress free speech.
Admin argues it has interest in promoting accurate info on public health and elections, not dictating content policies.

npr.org

Relevant topic timeline:

8/16/2023

Republicans scrutinize Biden White House’s emails with tech platforms

Main Topic: Internal corporate emails from social media companies reveal White House pressure to censor content, sparking concerns about First Amendment rights and government coercion. Key Points: 1. Internal emails from Meta and Twitter, obtained through a federal lawsuit and a congressional investigation, show White House officials requesting the removal of certain posts. 2. Republicans argue that these requests violate the First Amendment rights of tech platforms and their users. 3. Legal experts are divided on whether government pressure to censor content constitutes coercion and a violation of free speech rights. The Supreme Court may need to address this issue.

9/8/2023

Appeals Court Narrows Order Blocking Biden Officials from Urging Social Media Censorship

A federal appeals court has narrowed a judge's order blocking Biden administration officials from communicating with social media companies, reversing much of the controversial order which claimed that the administration engaged in unconstitutional censorship in its efforts to combat Covid-19 disinformation.

9/9/2023

Court Rules White House, CDC Violated 1st Amendment by Pressuring Social Media Censorship

The 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the Biden administration, government health officials, and the FBI likely violated the First Amendment by influencing tech companies to remove or suppress posts on COVID-19 and elections, with the decision limiting the impact to specific government offices and barring coercion of social media platforms.

9/8/2023

Court Limits Biden Admin's Ability to Urge Social Media Content Removal

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans has ruled that the White House and other government agencies cannot coerce social media platforms to remove posts they dislike, but has narrowed the scope of a lower court's order limiting Biden administration communications with social media companies.

9/14/2023

Biden Seeks Supreme Court Pause on Ruling Limiting Ability to Fight Online Misinformation

The Biden administration has asked the Supreme Court to pause a lower court's ruling that restricts their efforts to pressure social media companies to remove or suppress posts, marking a significant legal battle over online speech and government collaboration with tech companies on combating misinformation.

9/22/2023

Court Rules Biden Administration Must Proceed with Gulf Oil and Gas Lease Sale

A federal court overturned the Biden administration's restrictions on an offshore oil and gas lease sale, granting a preliminary injunction to block the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's limitations, allowing the lease sale to proceed as planned.

9/22/2023

Alito Pauses Order Limiting Biden Officials' Ability to Pressure Social Media Companies on Content Removal

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has extended the temporary block on an order that restricts President Joe Biden's administration from encouraging social media companies to remove Covid-19 misinformation, allowing more time for the court to consider the administration's request to block the injunction.

9/29/2023

Supreme Court to Decide if States Can Regulate Social Media Content Moderation

The Supreme Court will consider whether states can control how social media companies moderate content, potentially reshaping the digital public sphere and impacting free speech and democracy.

10/3/2023

Court Rules CISA Violated 1st Amendment by Encouraging Social Media Censorship of Election Posts

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) likely violated the First Amendment by pressuring social media platforms to restrict election-related content, expanding an existing injunction and potentially setting up the case for the Supreme Court.

Topics

Posted 9/9/2023, 12:34:08 AM

Appeals Court Partially Lifts Injunction Barring Biden Officials from Urging Social Media to Remove False COVID and Election Claims

Appeals court limited injunction restricting Biden administration communications with social media companies over controversial content.
Injunction originally blocked multiple agencies from urging platforms to take down false COVID-19 and election claims.
Appeals court upheld injunction but narrowed it to just White House, CDC, surgeon general and FBI.
Lawsuit brought by Republican AGs claims administration illegally pressured companies to suppress free speech.
Admin argues it has interest in promoting accurate info on public health and elections, not dictating content policies.

npr.org

Relevant topic timeline:

8/16/2023

Republicans scrutinize Biden White House’s emails with tech platforms

9/8/2023

Appeals Court Narrows Order Blocking Biden Officials from Urging Social Media Censorship

9/9/2023

Court Rules White House, CDC Violated 1st Amendment by Pressuring Social Media Censorship

9/8/2023

Court Limits Biden Admin's Ability to Urge Social Media Content Removal

9/14/2023

Biden Seeks Supreme Court Pause on Ruling Limiting Ability to Fight Online Misinformation

9/22/2023

Court Rules Biden Administration Must Proceed with Gulf Oil and Gas Lease Sale

9/22/2023

Alito Pauses Order Limiting Biden Officials' Ability to Pressure Social Media Companies on Content Removal

9/29/2023

Supreme Court to Decide if States Can Regulate Social Media Content Moderation

The Supreme Court will consider whether states can control how social media companies moderate content, potentially reshaping the digital public sphere and impacting free speech and democracy.

10/3/2023

Court Rules CISA Violated 1st Amendment by Encouraging Social Media Censorship of Election Posts