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