Kelly Hayes
Former President Donald Trump is suing Twitter in hopes of prompting the social media platform to reinstate his account, citing a new Florida law.
In a complaint filed in the Southern District of Florida Friday evening, Trump seeks a preliminary injunction on Twitter’s ban, arguing that it violates the First Amendment, as well as legislation signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis in May.
In the complaint, which was first reported by The Verge, the social media platform is described as “a major avenue of public discourse,” and the platform was “coerced by members of the United States Congress,” into censoring him.
Twitter banned Trump from its platform in January, following the Jan. 6 riots that resulted in the death of five individuals. The app originally suspended Trump for 12 hours for “repeated and severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy” in response to his false assertions that the election was fraudulent. Two days later, the platform moved forward with a permanent ban, inspiring other social media like Facebook and Snapchat to do the same.
The complaint states that Trump’s Twitter account was an “important source of news and information about government affairs,” calling it a “digital town hall.” In banning Trump’s account, the complaint argues, the platform is controlling political discourse and is “profoundly dangerous to open democratic debate.”
Twitter declined to comment Saturday on Trump’s filing.
In addition to the complaint’s First Amendment defense, the lawsuit also looks to a new Florida law that is facing its own court battles.
The new law cited in the complaint was a priority of the Republican-controlled state Legislature. The measure seeks to limit social media’s control over what appears on their platforms.
The law requires social media companies to post their terms of service with standards for handling issues like censoring, deplatforming and blocking users, and apply the standards consistently. Citing that measure, the complaint argues that Twitter applied its rules about COVID-19 posts inconsistently, “to placate government actors who generally approved of the protests of the summer of 2020,” but “disapproved of the events of January 6.”
However, a federal judge blocked the new law in July before it could take effect. DeSantis’ administration is appealing that decision.
Also in July, Trump filed lawsuits in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida against all three tech companies and their CEOs, claiming that he and other conservatives have been wrongfully censored. The motion for a preliminary injunction was filed as part of Trump’s case against Twitter.
13 comments
PeterH
October 2, 2021 at 12:06 pm
The day will never come when a ‘deplorable’ idiot like Donald Trump gets to tell a private company like Twitter how to run their posting policies. Posting on Twitter has absolutely nothing to do with the First Amendment. Twitter is a private club with rules. Break the rules and you get banned.
Maybe Trump and DeSantis can start their own right wing media.
Alex
October 2, 2021 at 12:23 pm
Government forcing a private company to say things (put Trump’s lies and nonsense on their site) is just as bad as the Government forcing it (or a individual) to NOT say things.
The thing Trump and his cult don’t understand is the Constitution only restricts the Government, not individuals or companies.
Alex
October 2, 2021 at 1:17 pm
And trumpers, if you want it to change, you need to pass a constitutional amendment first.
Good luck with that.
Lol
Jimini Spitters
October 2, 2021 at 2:13 pm
Just because the fat orange clown tells a few lies(30,000) he should be allowed to spew his lies on his blog not anywhere else on social media. Grab EM by the PUSSSSY
Leanne Hebert
October 2, 2021 at 3:11 pm
I feel it is entirely ridiculous that the Government can manipulate theses types of Social media sites. I feel the lawsuit should be dropped and Donald Trump should be allowed his freedom of speech to the discuss what he feels in his mind with what is so majory incompetent about our Governmentmental System and give American citizens a heads up on all the corrup Greedy politicians we have that are once again going to shut down and cause more inflation to increase because they would rather do that then pass the funding that is approved through the yearly budget. I
Feel that Our Florida Governor should be exposed, for example Mr.De Santisis sitting and hoarding the money that was sent from the Federal government to reinstate the maximum allotment for SNAP, extentions for unemployment to receive the Federal allotment and for people who are still struggling to pay thier Mortgages or need the extention for people to keep thier homes.Also isn’t funding our school systems and giving the extra stimulus to teachers that other states are doing. I guess he wants to use up that funding to beautify Sanibel Beach and charge people for parking and Raise the toll to $10 per vehicle. Lesson taxes for the weathly again. Oh and also keep it in his pocket. So if these corrupt slimeballs can get away with that. Then why can’t Trump get back his Twitter account???
Anon
October 3, 2021 at 2:56 am
The government is really not involved in manipulating social media. The federal government provided immunity from liability to the content that third parties post and the federal government provided immunity for censoring and de-platforming bad actors, such as TFG, and content that violated their rules, such as lying that TFG won. This was done to promote internet services provided by your internet service provider and it also applies to social media companies.
With the TFG’s motion now filed, we cannot wait to read the Opposition to the motion filed by Twitter.
Chris Rhea
October 6, 2021 at 1:09 pm
Leanne, I don’t agree with all of your post but I respect you bringing up freedom of speech in your comment. some people refuse to acknowledge this has anything to do with that because Twitter is a private company. so on and so forth. There are several excusses whatever. but the logic is rediculous. The people/haters want to change the info thy don’t trust because it doesn’t fit thier agenda or that they believe in as if they think others will start to think like they do. Some of us have an open mind. Example… Just because I don’t belive in 90 % of what AOC says doesn’t mean I won’t hear the cute little gal out and let her say her piece. Shouldn’t this go both ways?
Kirby
October 2, 2021 at 6:28 pm
I wont pretend to know the Federal laws on this. I do know laws are often changed in some form. It’s not changed because a group wants to change something in the law already in the books.
Anon
October 3, 2021 at 2:47 am
1) The lawsuit was initially filed some time ago.
2) TFGs attorneys recently filed a Motion for a Preliminary Injunction to get his Twitter account back, why the lawsuit is argued (years) towards a final judgment. An Axios.com article has a link to read the Motion.
3) The Motion that was filed uses some twisted logic in order to implicate Twitter as acting in concert with the Federal Government partly through the enactment of a law immunizing Twitter for avoiding liability for third party content and immunizing Twitter for censorship, deplatforming etc.
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October 3, 2021 at 5:52 am
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Chris Rhea
October 6, 2021 at 12:57 pm
I don’t think you idiots commenting understand the advantages that social media outlets like Twitter/Facebook have been given by our government. (The have almost no liability at all because of bills put in place) By banning anyone’s voice in our government you are spitting in the face of that government that gave you those special privilages or rights. it matters not wether he is left or right and It matters not wether you like him or belive him or not. You idiots think they have to change the constitution in order to change the laws Twitter goes by are insane or you just don’t understand how things work. section 230 is one of the many ways the government needs to change those rules and or laws dummies. And its been talked about frequently. lets see what happens in 2022 when Biden keeps screwing his own party what happens.? Our government is already working on several restrictions and or regulations for social media and the rules they must abide by. and it wont take “changing the constitution” to get it done! Lordy! Wether or not you are a private company it doesn’t give you the right to violate laws. Twitter and Facebook are simply in new territory that we as a people have never been before therefore there are not laws in place yet. A medical company cannot share your medical information because of laws fairly recently put in place, not because of their own policy. Same can go for freedom of speech, and most likely eventually will, get it?
PeterH
October 6, 2021 at 1:10 pm
Blah blah blah
The elimination of 230 allows Twitter and Facebook MORE leverage to close accounts.
Chris Rhea
October 6, 2021 at 5:45 pm
Elimination or not, your wrong. yes…blah blah blah for sure.
Comments are closed.