A Texas bill that was supposed to stop social media companies from censoring users based on their political views has been blocked by a federal judge a day before it was due to take effect.
Judge Robert Pitman ruled that the bill would violate social media companies' First Amendment right to exercise editorial control over the content that appears on their platforms.
The filing states that "HB 20 prohibits virtually all content moderation, the very tool that social platforms use to make their platforms safe, useful, and enjoyable for users."
The law was due to take effect on Thursday.
NetChoice and the CCIA, two industry groups whose members include the likes of Amazon, Meta, and Facebook, had a legal challenge.
The CCIA said in a press release that the outcome was not surprising. When a State law would prevent companies from enforcing policies against Nazi propaganda, hate speech, and disinformation from foreign agents, the First Amendment ensures that the Government can't force a citizen or company to be associated with a viewpoint they disapprove of.
A bill signed in Florida by Gov. Ron DeSantis was blocked by a federal judge because of First Amendment violations.
Republican lawmakers say social media companies unfairly target conservative voices when they enforce their moderation rules. The governor said that there was a movement by some social media companies to silence conservative ideas and values.
The former President accused social media companies of being biased against conservatives.
