US Supreme Court Rejects Challenge Claiming Biden Govt Pressurised Social Media Companies To Remove Content

The US Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a challenge asserting that President Joe Biden's administration unlawfully pressured social media platforms to remove posts, including those regarding elections and COVID misinformation, under free speech protections, news agency Reuters reported. The 6-3 ruling overturned a 2023 lower court decision that found federal officials likely violated the First Amendment by encouraging content removal. 

The case, brought by Missouri, Louisiana, and five individuals, argued officials lacked standing to sue over federal actions involving various agencies, including the White House and CDC. Justice Amy Coney Barrett, writing for the majority, noted plaintiffs failed to demonstrate specific harm from content moderation incidents, and emphasised the absence of a direct link between government actions and any suffered harm.

However, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a conservative who authored the Supreme Court's decision, stated that the two Republican-led states and other plaintiffs did not have the necessary legal standing to bring a lawsuit against the administration in federal court. In 2022, the plaintiffs sued various federal government officials and agencies, including those in the White House, FBI, the Surgeon General's office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

Barrett explained that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate a "concrete link" between the actions of government officials and any harm they experienced. "They emphasise the importance of unrestricted speech on social media to their work," Barrett wrote, "but they did not cite any specific instance of content moderation that directly harmed them." Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, and Neil Gorsuch disagreed with the majority's ruling.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre expressed approval of the ruling, noting it supports the Biden administration in its ongoing efforts to collaborate with technology companies to ensure the safety and security of Americans. She highlighted the administration's view that this decision comes after what they see as years of unwarranted Republican criticism aimed at public officials involved in vital efforts to safeguard the public.

The central issue was whether the administration moved beyond mere communication and persuasion to pressure or coerce platforms—referred to as "jawboning"—into unlawfully censoring unpopular speech, as lower courts had determined. Biden's administration argued that officials aimed to reduce the risks of online misinformation, including false claims about vaccines during the pandemic, which they argued were leading to preventable deaths. They did so by notifying social media companies of content that violated their own policies.

"Additionally, Jean-Pierre noted, 'This administration collaborates with social media and technology companies on critical issues such as terrorism threats, foreign malign influence campaigns, online harassment of women and children, and the mental health of minors.'"

(With inputs from Agency)