(LibertySociety.com) – The Biden administration was dealt a severe blow over the 4th of July holiday as a Louisiana judge ruled that the government likely engaged in censorship of political viewpoints by working with social media companies to suppress speech. The lawsuit, which was filed in 2022 by the Attorneys General of Louisiana and Missouri, is expected to succeed on its merits, according to Judge Terry Doughty, a U.S. District Court judge in Louisiana. The preliminary injunction issued by Doughty prohibits federal officials and government agencies from contacting social media companies to recommend or persuade them to remove protected speech.
The judge cited various instances of how the speech of mostly conservative voices was censored at the behest of the federal government, equating their actions to an “Orwellian ‘Ministry of Truth.’” Opposition to vaccine mandates and masks, questioning the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election, and posts that deemed Hunter Biden’s laptop to be anything other than Russian disinformation were just a few examples offered by Doughty. The only non-conservative speech that was mentioned in the ruling was that of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is a lifelong Democrat and opponent of President Biden in the 2024 presidential primary election.
Former Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, who initially filed the lawsuit but now represents the state in the United States Senate, applauded the decision by Judge Doughty, tweeting that the fight to “take down the Vast Censorship Enterprise” is paramount to free speech in America. Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry released a statement expressing his readiness to fight the Biden administration if they appeal Judge Doughty’s decision, promising to put forward every effort to prevent the government from engaging in first amendment violations. Newly appointed Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey also released a statement after the ruling, vowing to continue to fight for the free speech of Americans. The Department of Justice said on July 5 that it will appeal the ruling, signaling a lengthy court battle that could potentially work its way up to the Supreme Court.
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