Staff Reports
The Supreme Court justices were rockin’ and rollin’ during oral arguments on Monday, not ready to jump on the bandwagon claiming the Biden administration trampled on the First Amendment by cozying up to social media giants for some good ol’ censorship fun. The lower district court judge threw the initial wrench in the works last July, feeling all brave and mighty by blocking various government agency folks from whispering sweet censorship nothings into the ears of social media platforms. The plaintiffs, including Louisiana and Missouri, were all up in arms, shouting from the rooftops about their precious free speech being squished like a bug. But not all the justices were buying it, with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson singing a different tune, hinting that maybe, just maybe, the government should swoop in and play superhero when it comes to protecting the citizens from the big, bad speech monsters.
The plot thickened when documents spilled the beans on cozy coffee dates between the feds and social media platforms, with the White House shooting off emails faster than a cowboy in a showdown, demanding content takedowns quicker than you can say “yeehaw.” The Fifth Circuit later stepped in and drew a line in the sand, questioning where persuasion ends and coercion begins. Justice Samuel Alito was all riled up, envisioning a world where the government treats the media like peasants, which had him seeing red faster than a bull in a china shop.\
Supreme Court Skeptical That Biden Admin Violated First Amendment By Encouraging Social Media Censorshiphttps://t.co/b5JAk40GCp
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) March 18, 2024
But hold your horses, because Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan weren’t having any of it, fearing the notion of putting a leash on the government when it comes to giving out orders to social media platforms. They played the terrorism card, worried that without the government’s watchful eye, we’d be knee-deep in trouble. Justice Brett Kavanaugh tossed a curveball, wondering if press officials get yelled at on the reg, with his eagle eyes catching a hint of some spicy exchanges in those government communications.
Louisiana Solicitor General Benjamin Aguinaga faced a firing squad of questions, with Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett taking their turns poking holes in the argument that the government should be playing big brother to social media companies. Aguinaga stood his ground, preaching the gospel of true speech as the antidote to false speech, while the justices danced around the ring, trying to figure out where to draw the line between government guidance and censorship rodeos. And that, my friends, is just another day at the Supreme Court circus, where the clowns wear robes and the ringmaster goes by Chief Justice. Hold on to your hats, folks – the show’s far from over!
