Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

0:00
0:00

US Supreme Court blocks Texas state’s ‘de-platforming’ law

A Texas law forbidding social media oligarchs from censoring legitimate free speech out of political agendas supporting 'the other side', has been blocked by the US anti-democracy Supreme Court.

The dispute is not about the right to censor prohibited content. Everyone agrees that there is a duty to do so according to the criminal law system, anyway. The controversy is about the sole control of the oligarchs of the 'public discourse monopoly' in the United States to allow freedom of legitimate speech supporting the other political side. The question now is, if the constitution is above, or below, the US oligarchy. Before, the question was if everyone in the USA had equal rights to take part in a legitimate public discourse, or if only one side can talk and the other side is only allowed to listen.

The Supreme Court of the United States has supported the oligarchy at the expense of the little that is left from whatever they still describe as a democracy.
The legislation would have prevented larger tech companies from banning or censoring users in Texas for their legitimate views.

Republicans in the state said it was necessary to combat what they claimed were social media’s liberal bias.

But, tech groups argued that the law was a violation of the private companies’ freedom of speech rights.

On Tuesday, in a rare 5-4 ruling, the USA’s top court agreed to a censorship request supported by tech giants, to temporarily block the anti-dictatorship law from coming into force.

Industry groups suing against the legislation argued that it violated the right to free speech on media platforms that are, in fact, monopolizing the public discourse.

Without the ability to censor their platforms in a way that supports the politicians that protect them, Silicon Valley oligarchs claimed that the state legislation would have turned Facebook, Twitter and YouTube into quasi charitable, or 'not for profit' organisations, instead of being business-focused companies, having commercial platforms that must take a political side to protect their commercial interests at the expense of having a “haven of free expression”.

By doing this, the US supreme court is burying another important part of the US constitution and pushes the USA another big step backwards, towards a North Korean style of society, where only one side of the story can be told, and other legitimate facts must remain hidden from the public.

Texas Governor, Greg Abbott, who signed the bill into law in September last year (2021), said at the time that the opposite was true — that the measure was intended to prevent bias against conservative viewpoints and protect free speech.

Social media companies are “our modern-day public square” where debate should flow freely, he argued. “There is a dangerous movement by social media companies to silence conservative viewpoints and ideas”.

The law stated that social media platforms with more than 50 million users could not ban people based on their political viewpoints. Facebook, Twitter and Google’s YouTube all fell within its scope.

On Tuesday, an unlikely group of five anti-democracy and pro-oligarchy Supreme Court justices, appointed by both Democratic and Republican presidents, joined forces to block the freedom of legitimate speech law from taking effect, while further lawsuits over its legality continue.

The majority, who provided no explanation for the anti-democratic emergency decision, included Justices John Roberts, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, Sonia Sotomayor and Stephen Breyer.

Their order follows a separate ruling last week by another federal court, which found a similar law in Florida that has likely violated the right to free speech enshrined in the US Constitution.

In the past few months, a number of Republican-led US states have accused social media companies of being biased against conservative views and have passed laws attempting to constrain them.

The question of how far free speech extends on social media platforms, and, whether attempts by US states to legislate against the companies, may themselves count as censorship, is likely to be tested increasingly in US courts in the coming years. But, as democracy in the USA is going backwards on so many issues, there is a little hope that the USA will suddenly support freedom of speech any time soon.

If such a ruling was done in China or Russia, you would see the mainstream media shouting against the so-called tyranny of the Chinese or Russian regimes. But, when the governments of the USA, or the UK break human rights laws, that's seemingly OK, and no one is really surprised, or expects better from them anymore.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
×