Staff Reports
The Supreme Court has shut down a lawsuit from Missouri and Louisiana state attorneys aiming to put a stop to the Biden administration’s cozy relationship with Big Tech. The administration has been urging social media giants to scrub away content they label as “misinformation.” Who knew the First Amendment came with a government-approved filter?
With a 6-3 ruling, the court decided that the social media users and states didn’t have enough skin in the game to make this claim. The ruling makes it clear: without standing, there’s no point in even discussing it further. Quite the technicality for a case dealing with a fundamental right, wouldn’t you say?
This ruling torpedoed a previous order from a Louisiana federal judge which had warned hundreds of Biden officials to keep their hands off social media content under threat of contempt. Social media companies themselves didn’t cry foul; they are, after all, more than happy to let the government play fact-checker for them.
🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨 This is an insane ruling. SCOTUS Watch: The First Amendment Was Just Dealt a Major Blow https://t.co/8WeYoeu2fy
— Carol RN *Miss Rush & the Gipper* 👩⚕️🇺🇸 🇮🇱🦈 (@pasqueflower19) June 26, 2024
Instead, it was the Republican attorneys from Missouri and Louisiana who stepped up, alleging that Biden’s sprawling censorship machinery was muzzling American free speech. They pointed fingers at the White House, the FBI, the Surgeon General’s office, and the CDC. Quite a line-up for an administration that’s supposedly “transparent and democratic.”
Although the Supreme Court had earlier put the Louisiana judge’s order on hold, thanks to some pushback from Justices Thomas, Alito, and Gorsuch, they agreed to hear the case. These dissenting justices weren’t exactly shy about their opinions. Alito didn’t mince words, calling the ruling a green light for future government officials hell-bent on controlling public discourse.
This case, despite its disappointing outcome, shone a spotlight on the extent of the Biden administration’s censorship. Senator Eric Schmitt, ex-Missouri Attorney General, proudly claimed that the lawsuit blew the lid off Biden’s gagging agenda. According to Schmitt, while exposing this suppression marks a victory, the battle to protect free speech is far from over. Hopefully, this “censorship industrial complex” will see its demise sooner rather than later.
