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☆ Supreme Court blocks restrictions on Biden administration efforts to remove contentious social media posts
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Lawrence Hurley | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Friday blocked in full a lower court ruling that would have curbed the Biden administration's ability to communicate with social media companies about contentious content on such issues as Covid-19. Donald Trump was president at the time, but the district court ruling focused on actions taken by the government after President Joe Biden took office in January 2021. But the appeals court still required the White House, the FBI and top health officials not to "coerce or significantly encourage" social media companies to remove content the Biden administration considers misinformation. The administration turned to the Supreme Court hoping to freeze Doughty's ruling in full. The district court ruling was on hold while the Supreme Court decided what steps to take.

Persons: WASHINGTON —, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Alito, Jim Hoft, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Terry Doughty, Biden, White, Karine Jean, Pierre, Vivek Murthy, Elizabeth Prelogar, Prelogar Organizations: Biden, U.S, Trump, Circuit, FBI, Supreme Locations: Louisiana, Missouri

Circuit Court of Appeals for a new ruling to prevent the "improper result" of allowing parts of the lower court order "to regain effect even after having been held invalid by this court." The plaintiffs allege that U.S. officials lobby social media platforms to suppress what the government considers to be misinformation, violating users' right to free speech under the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment. While the case was still at an early stage, Doughty issued a preliminary injunction banning a wide range of communications between a slew of officials and social media companies. The panel limited the injunction's reach to a smaller group of officials, including White House staff, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It said that the 5th Circuit should either put the parts of Doughty's order that it reversed on hold, or finalize its order immediately.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Joe Biden's, Terry Doughty, Doughty, Brendan Pierson, Alexia Garamfalvi, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, Justice Department, U.S, Circuit, Appeals, Biden, Democrat, District, X Corp, White House, Centers for Disease Control, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Supreme, Thomson Locations: Louisiana, Missouri, Monroe , Louisiana, New York

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal appeals court Friday significantly whittled down a lower court's order curbing Biden administration communications with social media companies over controversial content about COVID-19 and other issues. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans on Friday said the White House, the Surgeon General, the Centers for Disease Control and the FBI cannot “coerce” social media platforms to take down posts the government doesn’t like. Even the appeals court’s softened order doesn’t take effect immediately. The administration has 10 days to seek a Supreme Court review. The case was heard by judges Jennifer Walker Elrod and Edith Brown Clement, nominated to the court by former President George W. Bush; and Don Willett, nominated by former President Donald Trump.

Persons: evening's, Joe Biden’s, Hunter, Jeff Landry, “, Terry Doughty's, Friday's, Jennifer Walker Elrod, Edith Brown Clement, George W ., Don Willett, Donald Trump, Doughty Organizations: ORLEANS, —, Biden, U.S, Circuit, Centers for Disease Control, FBI, Facebook, District, National Institute of Allergy, Infrastructure Agency, State Department, Trump Locations: New Orleans, Louisiana, Missouri, U.S

REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstAug 10 (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Thursday will weigh lifting a Louisiana judge's order limiting the Biden administration's ability to communicate with social media companies to urge them to moderate information it deems harmful or misleading. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans is set to hear arguments in the administration's appeal of the judge's ruling, which found that the government wrongly pushed social media firms to suppress disfavored political views. The Biden administration quickly appealed, and the 5th Circuit temporarily put the judge's ruling on hold while it heard the case. The administration denies forcing social media companies to take down any posts. The panel that will hear the Biden administration's appeal includes three judges who were all appointed by Republican presidents, U.S.

Persons: Joe Biden, Jonathan Ernst, Terry Doughty's, Doughty, Donald Trump, Trump, lockdowns, Biden, Edith Brown Clement, Jennifer Walker Elrod, Don Willett, Brendan Pierson, Nate Raymond, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, Biden, Circuit, District, Democratic, Meta, Inc, YouTube, Twitter, X Corp, Trump, Department of Health, Human Services, Federal Bureau of, 5th Circuit, Republican, Thomson Locations: Arcosa, Belen , New Mexico, U.S, Louisiana, New Orleans, Missouri, Monroe, New York

July 26 (Reuters) - The Biden administration has asked a federal appeals court to lift an order sharply curbing government officials' communications with social media companies as a lawsuit accusing U.S. officials of seeking to censor certain views about COVID-19 and other topics online makes its way through the courts. Circuit Court of Appeals, the administration argued that a lower court judge's July 4 decision was overly broad and would hurt the government's ability to fight misinformation on platforms in a crisis. "The government cannot punish people for expressing different views," lawyers for U.S. President Joe Biden's administration wrote. The government must be allowed to seek to persuade people of its views, even where those views are the subject of controversy." His preliminary order came in a lawsuit filed by Republican attorneys general in Louisiana and Missouri.

Persons: Biden, Joe Biden's, Terry Doughty, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Brendan Pierson, Susan Heavey Organizations: U.S, New, Circuit, Appeals, District, Facebook, YouTube, Democratic, Republican, Department of Health, Human Services, Federal Bureau of, Thomson Locations: New Orleans, U.S, Monroe , Louisiana, Louisiana, Missouri, New York

July 14 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Friday temporarily blocked a lower court order that had sharply limited certain Biden administration officials' and agencies' contacts with social media companies. The 5th Circuit on Friday ruled that the administration's appeal of Doughty's order will be heard as soon as possible by a three-judge panel. Doughty's order itself was a temporary injunction, meant to remain in place while the judge considers the case more fully. The social media companies mentioned in the lawsuit include Facebook and Instagram parent Meta Platforms Inc (META.O), Twitter and Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) YouTube. Legal experts have said Doughty's order will likely face tough scrutiny on appeal, thanks to its breadth and the lack of clear precedents supporting it.

Persons: Terry Doughty, Doughty, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Biden, Brendan Pierson, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Biden, New, Circuit, U.S, District, Democratic, Republican, Facebook, Inc, Twitter, YouTube, Department of Health, Human Services, FBI, Thomson Locations: New Orleans, Monroe , Louisiana, Louisiana, Missouri, New York

The Justice Department in a filing sought a stay pending its appeal of the judge's preliminary injunction. Doughty's order specifically mentioned certain officials including Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Jen Easterly, who heads the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. U.S. officials have said that in contacting social media companies they were aiming to tamp down misinformation about American elections and about COVID vaccines to curb preventable deaths. It raises grave separation-of-powers concerns," the Justice Department filing said, referring to the Constitution's division of powers among the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the U.S. government. The judge's order made some exceptions for communications between government officials and the companies, including to warn about risks to national security and about criminal activity.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Joe Biden's, Terry Doughty, Doughty, Donald Trump, Alejandro Mayorkas, Kanishka Singh, Will Dunham, Mike Scarcella Organizations: Twitter, YouTube, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, U.S . Justice, Republican, New, Circuit, District, Department of Health, Human Services, U.S, Department, Department of Homeland, Infrastructure Security Agency . U.S, ., Thomson Locations: New Orleans, Louisiana, Missouri, Washington

☆ Biden admin seeks emergency order halting ban on social media company contacts
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 6 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Thursday asked a federal appeals court for an emergency order halting a lower court ruling that bars some government agencies and officials from meeting and communicating with social media companies about moderating their content. Circuit Court of Appeals, the administration said the lower court ruling was "both sweeping in scope and vague in its terms," and likely to be overturned on appeal. The lower court order, issued by U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty in Louisiana, came in a lawsuit brought by Republican attorneys general in Louisiana and Missouri and by several individuals. They alleged that U.S. government officials effectively coerced social media companies to censor posts over concerns they would fuel vaccine hesitancy during the COVID-19 pandemic or upend elections. The social media companies mentioned in the lawsuit include Facebook and Instagram parent Meta Platforms Inc (META.O), Twitter and Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) YouTube.

Persons: Biden, Terry Doughty, Brendan Pierson, Alexia Garamfalvi, Daniel Wallis, Himani Organizations: New, Circuit, Appeals, U.S, District, Facebook, Inc, Twitter, YouTube, Department of Health, Human Services, FBI, Constitution, Thomson Locations: New Orleans, Louisiana, Missouri, U.S, New York

July 6 (Reuters) - A federal judge's order restricting Biden administration officials from contacting social media companies about moderating their content will face tough legal challenges on appeal, experts said. The Biden administration on Wednesday filed a notice with the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. THREAT OF HARMThe Biden administration has argued that there was no threat of harm because the lawsuit challenged communications that ended more than a year ago. It also said that while it urged social media companies to stop the spread of dangerous misinformation, the companies themselves - including Facebook and Instagram parent Meta Platforms Inc (META.O), YouTube owner Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) and Twitter Inc - ultimately made their own decisions. Burt Neuborne, a professor at New York University School of Law, was more skeptical of the free speech claims.

Persons: Terry Doughty, Biden, Jonathan Turley, Doughty's, Doughty, Jameel Jaffer, Jaffer, Mark MacCarthy, Burt Neuborne, I'm, You'd, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Brendan Pierson, Andrew Goudsward, Kanishka Singh, Alexia Garamfalvi, Leslie Adler Organizations: Biden, U.S, District, New, Circuit, Appeals, George Washington University Law School, Department of Health, Human Services, Facebook, Inc, Twitter Inc, Meta, Columbia University, Brookings Institution, New York University School of Law, Republican, Democrat, Thomson Locations: Louisiana, New Orleans, Missouri, U.S, New York, Washington

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