Current:Home > ScamsCourt pauses order limiting Biden administration contact with social media companies -Visionary Growth Labs
Court pauses order limiting Biden administration contact with social media companies
View
Date:2025-04-17 17:01:46
NEW ORLEANS — A federal appeals court Friday temporarily paused a lower court's order limiting executive branch officials' communications with social media companies about controversial online posts.
Biden administration lawyers had asked the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans to stay the preliminary injunction issued on July 4 by U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty. Doughty himself had rejected a request to put his order on hold pending appeal.
Friday's brief 5th Circuit order put Doughty's injunction on hold "until further orders of the court." It called for arguments in the case to be scheduled on an expedited basis.
Filed last year, the lawsuit claimed the administration, in effect, censored free speech by discussing possible regulatory action the government could take while pressuring companies to remove what it deemed misinformation. COVID-19 vaccines, legal issues involving President Joe Biden's son Hunter and election fraud allegations were among the topics spotlighted in the lawsuit.
Doughty, nominated to the federal bench by former President Donald Trump, issued an Independence Day order and accompanying reasons that covered more than 160 pages. He said the plaintiffs were likely to win their ongoing lawsuit. His injunction blocked the Department of Health and Human Services, the FBI and multiple other government agencies and administration officials from "encouraging, pressuring, or inducing in any manner the removal, deletion, suppression, or reduction of content containing protected free speech."
Administration lawyers said the order was overly broad and vague, raising questions about what officials can say in conversations with social media companies or in public statements. They said Doughty's order posed a threat of "grave" public harm by chilling executive branch efforts to combat online misinformation.
Doughty rejected the administration's request for a stay on Monday, writing: "Defendants argue that the injunction should be stayed because it might interfere with the Government's ability to continue working with social-media companies to censor Americans' core political speech on the basis of viewpoint. In other words, the Government seeks a stay of the injunction so that it can continue violating the First Amendment."
In its request that the 5th Circuit issue a stay, administration lawyers said there has been no evidence of threats by the administration. "The district court identified no evidence suggesting that a threat accompanied any request for the removal of content. Indeed, the order denying the stay — presumably highlighting the ostensibly strongest evidence — referred to 'a series of public media statements,'" the administration said.
Friday's "administrative stay" was issued without comment by a panel of three 5th Circuit judges: Carl Stewart, nominated to the court by former President Bill Clinton; James Graves, nominated by former President Barack Obama; and Andrew Oldham, nominated by Trump. A different panel drawn from the court, which has 17 active members, will hear arguments on a longer stay.
veryGood! (45591)
Related
- The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
- New Mexico looking for a new state Public Education Department secretary for K-12 schools
- Nikki Garcia's Husband Artem Chigvintsev Arrested for Domestic Violence
- Details Revealed on Richard Simmons’ Cause of Death
- Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds
- RFK Jr.'s name to remain on presidential ballot in North Carolina
- Postmaster general is confident about ability to process mail-in ballots
- Authorities search for missing California couple last seen leaving home on nudist ranch
- Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
- US Open favorite Alcaraz crashes out after a shocking straight-sets loss
Ranking
- Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
- US Open Day 3 highlights: Coco Gauff cruises, but title defense is about to get tougher
- Why Black students are still disciplined at higher rates: Takeaways from AP’s report
- Fall is bringing fantasy (and romantasy), literary fiction, politics and Taylor-ed book offerings
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- 3 migrants killed and 17 injured when vehicle hits them on a highway in southern Mexico
- Chelsea Handler on her new Las Vegas residency, today's political moment and her dog Doug
- Mae Whitman reveals she named her first child after this co-star
Recommendation
'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
Hiker in Colorado found dead in wilderness after failing to return from camping trip
Concierge for criminals: Feds say ring gave thieves cars, maps to upscale homes across US
Allison Holker Shares Photo Teasing New Romance 2 Years After Husband Stephen tWitch Boss' Death
'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
Tropical systems Gilma and Hector have weakened but still pose threat to Hawaii
Botched college financial aid form snarls enrollment plans for students
Tell Me Lies Costars Grace Van Patten and Jackson White Confirm They’re Dating IRL