FEDERAL JUDGE DENIED TRUMP'S LAWSUIT AGAINST TWITTER

 

Judge denies Trump's lawsuit against Twitter

A federal judge has denied a lawsuit by Trump and others against Twitter, which sought to overturn the platform's ban on using their accounts. The judge said that the First Amendment only protects citizens from censorship in government media, not private companies, and Twitter, as a private company, is within its rights to regulate its content. See the details in the following video.

U.S. District Judge James Donato said Friday that Trump has not shown that Twitter violated his First Amendment right to free speech. The right to free speech does not apply to private companies, and Trump failed to demonstrate that Twitter was working as a state actor on behalf of the Democrats, the judge wrote, “The amended complaint only presents a set of assertions to the effect that some Democratic members of Congress wanted Mr. Trump and 'the views he expounded' banned from Twitter because that content and views were 'contrary to the preferred views of lawmakers,'” Donato wrote.

“However, the comments of a group of elected officials are far from assuming 'a decision for which the State is responsible'. Legislators are perfectly free to express opinions without being considered the official voice of “the State”.

Trump sued Google's Twitter, Facebook and YouTube in July 2021 after claiming those platforms illegally censored him.

The platforms suspended Trump's accounts after the assault on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021, when supporters of the then president violently stormed that room, in their attempt to prevent Congress from certifying Joe Biden's electoral victory.

The companies raised concerns that Trump could incite more violence.

The ruling comes as Elon Musk, the world's richest man, is in the process of buying Twitter for $44 billion. The operation has raised questions about whether Musk, who describes himself as a free-expression absolutist, will return the account to the former president.

Trump, who continues to repeat lies about his 2020 election defeat in his speeches, has created his own social network: Truth Social. Last week, the former president indicated that he will not return to Twitter if he gets the chance.

Trump was seeking with the demand that his account, which had around 89 million followers, and those of five other people who claim were censored by Twitter, be restored.

The group had sought unspecified compensation and collective categorization that would favor other people banned from the platform.

 

Jurists had predicted the failure of the lawsuit, although they hinted that Trump would take advantage of it for political purposes.

Trump's political action committee immediately began raising money after the lawsuit was announced last year.