The US Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked the Texas law that prohibits social media companies from moderating content based on a user's viewpoint.
The vacating stay presented to Justice Alito was granted by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
The Texas law was blocked by a group of justices, including Chief Justice John Roberts. Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch joined Alito in a dissent. The ruling says that Justice Elena Kagan would deny the application to stay, but she did not join Alito's dissent.
The Supreme Court ruling came in response to an emergency application from tech groups NetChoice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA).
AdvertisementThis ruling means that private American companies will have an opportunity to be heard in court before they are forced to distribute vile, abusive or extremist content under this Texas law. CCIA President Matt Schruers said that they appreciated the Supreme Court ensuring the right not to be compelled to speak will be upheld during the legal challenge to Texas's social media law.
No online platform, website, or newspaper should be used to carry certain speech. This has been a key tenet of our democracy for more than 200 years and the Supreme Court has upheld that.
The Texas law is labeled as an act relating to censorship of or certain other interference with digital expression, including expression on social media platforms or through electronic mail messages.
The Texas law would have been a disaster for social media users and public discourse. The main result of these policies is to keep people away from toxic platforms, which would enhance free speech.
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