Supreme Court delays taking Texas and Florida online free speech cases (includes video story)

Lawsuits against Florida and Texas laws about online speech are making their way to the United States Supreme Court, but the cases may not be heard until the next term as it requested input from the Biden administration. 

The Florida law allows social media users to sue companies for banning or restricting their accounts on the basis that it’s censoring a person’s free speech. 

Netchoice and the CCIA are challenging the law because, as NetChoice counsel Chris Marchese says, companies have free speech too. 

“When it comes to social media businesses, some politicians think well, because you’re hosting other people’s speech, it’s okay to require you to host all speech,” Marchese says. “And so what our lawsuits are seeking to do is to try to remind the political branches that while we all believe in free speech, the best way to protect free speech is by abiding by the First Amendment.”

The legislation was introduced by the Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee and is part of Gov. Desantis’ ‘Big Tech’ crackdown, an effort to combat political speech from censorship online. Former President Trump’s suspensions from multiple platforms inspired the bill.

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Natalie is a senior double majoring in journalism and English. She interned at the Miami Herald and was an NBCU Academy fellow in Washington, D.C., where she reported on national issues that affect South Florida. Natalie has an interest in political reporting and gender issues.