Staff Reports
The Supreme Court said no to Elon Musk’s request to review a 2018 settlement agreement with a federal agency. Elon Musk argued that the agreement limited his First Amendment rights. He said the deal made him get approval from a company attorney before talking publicly, even on social media, about his electric vehicle company, Tesla. The courts decided that this rule did not go against his free speech rights.
Elon Musk got into trouble with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 2018 due to a social media post. He said he had the money to take Tesla private but that turned out to be untrue. The SEC said this false information impacted Tesla’s stock price. To settle the issue, Musk had to pay a fine and step down as chairman of Tesla. He also had to clear his social media posts with a Tesla lawyer.
Musk fought back against this rule, saying it restricted his free speech. Even after winning a separate civil trial, the court did not agree with him. They said he had agreed to follow the SEC’s terms when he made the settlement. Musk’s lawyers argued that this rule limited his speech, even if it was true and unrelated to the SEC’s case against him.
The federal government has examined several parts of Musk’s companies, including Tesla and SpaceX, and his purchase of Twitter. Some believe the government is unfairly targeting Musk. The Supreme Court’s decision not to step in shows they are not willing to stop any supposed violations of his rights. It seems that, in this case, the courts have sided with the government.
