This week, the Supreme Court ruled in a major case relating to free speech. For years, evidence has emerged that the federal government is interfering with Americans on social media.
Elon Musk and others exposed how the Biden administration coerced Twitter and other apps to ban or block content criticizing the government.
Two states and five individuals took this issue to the courts. They demanded that the highest court in the land shut down Biden and others’ attempts at crushing free speech online. But, in a move that disgusted millions, the court ruled in favor of Biden based on a flimsy reason. Now, one justice is blasting back hard.
Justice Samuel Alito excoriated the Supreme Court majority for “shirk[ing]” its duty to restrain the government’s coercive censorship efforts in “one of the most important free speech cases” to reach the high court in years.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday sided 6-3 with the Biden administration in Murthy v. Missouri, finding that two states and five individual plaintiffs lacked standing to seek an injunction against the government’s wide-ranging efforts to suppress speech online. The case concerned the federal government requesting social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter remove certain content related to COVID-19 and other hot-button issues; many of the posts that were censored were factual, and critics argued the Biden administration attempted to censor conservative viewpoints
In his dissent, Alito, who was joined by Justices Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas, argued that the majority’s decision “permits the successful campaign of coercion in this case to stand as an attractive model for future officials who want to control what the people say, hear, and think.” [Source: Daily Caller]
Justices Alito, Gorsuch, and Thomas dissented from the majority, which voted to dismiss a case against the Biden administration. Six of the justices ruled that the people who brought the case “lacked standing,” which means the court didn’t think they had a right to sue Biden over this blatant attack on free speech.
Alito was livid over this ruling. He accused the court of “shirking” its duty to prevent the government from censoring Americans. Not only does the First Amendment ban the government from directly attacking this freedom, but it also prevents the government from using private companies to do the same.
Evidence has repeatedly shown that various government agencies paid or forced social networks to prevent Americans from speaking their mind. You might agree that everyone in America has “standing” to sue Joe over this. The majority of the SCOTUS disagrees, which could lead to more future censorship.
Alito claimed this very thing would happen. He stated this ruling would encourage future government officials to “control what the people say, hear, and think.” It is shocking that anyone on the court would rule in a way that violates the First Amendment. For years, the court has always sided on protecting our rights over preserving the government’s power.
Chances are, more cases will be brought to correct this error. However, this ruling could be used as a precedent that will discourage attempts at protecting free speech.
Author: Kit Fargo