Federal judge limits the Biden administration's contacts with social media platforms

Louisiana state Attorney General Jeff Landry said the Biden administration had violated the First Ammendment.

AP Photo/Melinda Deslatte, File

• A federal judge on Tuesday limited Biden officials' contacts with social platforms, per The NYT.
• Two GOP attorneys general argued that the administration had violated the First Amendment.
• The ruling would be a major setback in federal officials' efforts to combat misinformation online.

A federal judge on Tuesday blocked key Biden administration officials from communicating and meeting with social media companies regarding significant amounts of content on their platforms, which could limit a push to debunk false statements online, according to The New York Times.

The injunction came in response to a lawsuit filed by Republican attorneys general in Louisiana and Missouri, who argued that the government overstepped its authority in pushing social media companies to combat misleading posts that officials believed might spread incorrect information about COVID-19 vaccinations or election results.

Attorneys general Jeff Landry and Andrew Bailey, from Louisiana and Missouri, respectively, said in their filing that the government's actions in seeking to tackle coronavirus-related misinformation were "the most egregious violations of the First Amendment in the history of the United States of America."

In the injunction, US District Court Judge Terry A. Doughty of the Western District of Louisiana — who has not yet made a ruling in the case — wrote that the Republican attorneys general "have produced evidence of a massive effort by Defendants, from the White House to federal agencies, to suppress speech based on its content."

The ruling has dramatic implications for technology companies, which often speak with government officials throughout elections and national emergencies.

In the ruling, Doughty — who was nominated to the bench by former President Donald Trump — carved out several exceptions permitting talks between the government and the companies, which would include officials informing platforms of national security threats, criminal activity, or foreign efforts that could throw an election in the United States.

The ruling is likely to be appealed by the Biden administration, the Times said. The White House and several large tech companies didn't immediately respond to the Times' request for comment.

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