On Monday, the Supreme Court turned down a plea from potential 2024 presidential contender Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to become involved in a lawsuit against Biden administration officials for social media censorship.
The issue, in which a number of states and individuals under Republican control are accusing the Biden administration of breaching the First Amendment while corresponding with social media corporations regarding content moderation, was already agreed to be heard by the court.
Kennedy, the group Children’s Health Defense, and a resident of Louisiana filed a comparable case, which was combined at the trial stage.
However, the judge dismissed the plaintiffs’ case and granted the GOP states an injunction.
Kennedy filed a move to intervene once the states’ case was taken up by the Supreme Court, allowing him to present his own position to the justices.
However, the justices turned down his motion in a brief order.
Justice Samuel Alito dissented, arguing that by the time the lower court considers Kennedy’s case, the 2024 presidential campaign will have already begun.
Republican attorneys general from Missouri and Louisiana filed lawsuits against multiple Biden administration officials, claiming that their interactions with social media sites amounted to a government “campaign of censorship.”
The administration maintains that its initiatives are meant to counter false information and adhere to the First Amendment.
The Supreme Court decided to reschedule its earlier decisions and agreed to consider the issue in its entirety after subordinate courts barred different authorities from communicating with social media sites.
Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch—three conservative members of the court—expressed worries about the communications at the time and stated they would have maintained the restriction.
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