Staff Reports
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is in a bit of a pickle. An appeals court recently upheld a ruling that the Biden administration must limit its communication with social media companies regarding their content moderation practices. The DOJ is now scrambling to seek clarity and prevent the administration from being subjected to even stricter restrictions that were set to take effect on September 18th.
The case, known as Missouri v. Biden, was brought forth by attorneys general from Missouri and Louisiana last year. They alleged that the executive branch of the federal government had coerced social media companies into censoring content protected by the First Amendment. This includes touchy subjects like COVID-19 vaccines and that whole scandal with Hunter Biden’s laptop.
The appeals court decision, made by a panel of three judges on September 8th, acknowledged that a lower court’s ruling had gone a bit overboard by placing restrictions on various components of the federal government. The appeals court scaled back these restrictions so that they only applied to the White House, the surgeon general, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the FBI. Basically, they said, “Hey, let’s not go crazy here, only a select few federal agencies need to keep their mouths shut.”
But here’s the kicker – the appeals court decision doesn’t come into effect until October 31st. So in the meantime, the DOJ is trying to address the looming restrictions that the Biden administration is about to face, starting on September 18th. They’re basically saying, “Hold up! This isn’t what the appeals court said! We need some guidance here!”
But let’s take a step back and look at the bigger picture. This case raises important questions about free speech and the role of the federal government in squashing dissenting opinions. The Biden administration should be careful not to overstep its boundaries and violate the First Amendment rights of American citizens. It’s crucial that social media companies are not pressured into becoming tools of censorship. People should be allowed to express their opinions, even if they don’t align with the mainstream narrative. So kudos to the attorneys general who are fighting for our right to free speech. We can’t let the government decide what we can and cannot say.
