Supreme Court likely to reject strict limits on government contact with social media companies in free speech caseMarch 18, 2024, 2:09 PMThe Supreme Court on Monday appeared likely to reject strict limits on government contact with social media companies amid claims that federal officials had engaged in a "broad pressure campaign" to censor certain viewpoints related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 election.
Two lower courts found the administration had violated free-speech protections of the First Amendment and imposed an injunction – which remains on hold -- against future coordination over alleged misinformation. In one example at the center of the case, a White House official sent an email to a Twitter staffer after a post by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggested, without evidence, that baseball legend Hank Aaron had died from the COVID-19 vaccine.
During oral arguments, the justices wrestled with where to draw the line between persuasion – which would be constitutionally permissible – and coercion – when the government improperly "jawbones" social media companies to silence certain speech.The Supreme Court is seen in Washington, Mar. 18, 2024.MORE: Supreme Court overturns online stalking conviction, citing 1st Amendment