A Louisiana judge has blocked the Biden administration from contacting social media companies to discourage or censor speech..Judge Terry A. Doughty of the US District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, issued a preliminary injunction in Missouri v. Biden prohibiting multiple key Biden administration officials and agencies from having any contact with social media companies with the intent to discourage or censor speech protected by the First Amendment..In his 155-page opinion, Judge Doughty wrote, “The right of free speech is a fundamental constitutional right that is vital to the freedom of our nation, and Plaintiffs have produced evidence of a massive effort by Defendants, from the White House to federal agencies, to suppress speech based on its content."."Defendants’ alleged suppression has potentially resulted in millions of free speech violations.”.Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the 2024 presidential election, is mentioned in the lawsuit regarding 2021 White House communications with Twitter requesting the removal of a tweet from Kennedy regarding COVID-19 vaccines. .“This is one of the most important First Amendment cases in our nation’s history. Missouri v. Biden concerns every American regardless of party affiliation, political ideology, personal beliefs or religion," Kennedy said in a statement.."Freedom of speech has been the central foundation stone of our democracy since our nation’s birth.".“An American president has no right to wield White House power to silence his critics. These actions were anathema to our core American values and a disappointment to all those around the globe who see America as the world’s exemplary democracy.”.Children’s Health Defence (CHD), an organization from which Kennedy is on leave from during his election run, filed an amicus brief on behalf of Missouri v. Biden in April of this year..In Wednesday’s ruling, Judge Doughty, recognized the "Plaintiffs’ allegations that the White House Defendants have significantly encouraged and coerced social media platforms to suppress protected free speech.".Doughty also wrote that posts including content from CHD did not violate Facebook’s policies “but would nonetheless be suppressed.”.“The ruling in Missouri v. Biden is a tremendous victory for freedom of speech, recognizing and condemning unconstitutional federal involvement in social media censorship and specifically in the censorship of CHD and Bobby Kennedy Jr.," Jed Rubenfeld, CHD lead counsel for the plaintiffs, said in a statement.."As the Supreme Court reaffirmed just days ago, ‘If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is the principle that the government may not interfere with an uninhibited marketplace of ideas.’”.CHD Acting General Counsel Kim Mack Rosenberg said, “Americans have been deprived of not only their right to speak out about controversial issues — especially in the past three years — but also of the crucially important right to hear and assess various viewpoints.".“Often the suppression of information countering government agendas comes from people whose salaries are provided by US taxpayers. In issuing this preliminary injunction, Judge Doughty has taken an important step to restore the fundamental rights of every American.”.CHD has two active lawsuits in front of Judge Daughty: CHD, et al. v. The Washington Post, et al. and Kennedy, et al. v. Biden, et al.
