On Friday March 24th, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Children’s Health Defense (CHD), and others filed a groundbreaking class action lawsuit against President Joe Biden and various federal agencies in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, Monroe Division.
The suit alleges collusion between the defendants and social media companies to suppress speech that the government does not want the public to hear and silence specific speakers who are critical of federal policy.
This lawsuit is not about seeking monetary damages, but rather, it aims to protect the fundamental right to free speech for all Americans who access news from social media platforms.
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The plaintiffs request the court to declare that the defendants’ conduct violates the First Amendment and prohibit them from engaging in any form of social media censorship in the future.
The complaint refers to the government’s campaign to censor online speech as one of “the gravest threats to free speech this country has ever faced.” This is due to the immense power a few social media giants hold over American public discourse.
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Since 2020, federal officers from various levels of the government have been pressuring social media companies to censor constitutionally protected speech.
This unprecedented collaboration between the White House and health and intelligence agencies to silence criticism of presidential policies is a direct assault on the most fundamental foundation stone of American Democracy, as stated by CHD Chairman and Chief Litigation Counsel Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
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U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart once said, “Censorship reflects a society’s lack of confidence in itself. It is a hallmark of an authoritarian regime.”
This lawsuit challenges the federal government’s massive and concerted effort to coerce social media companies into censorship, with the hope of putting an end to it.
As co-counsel for the plaintiffs, Jed Rubenfeld, rightly points out, the real victim is the public, which is why this suit has been filed as a class action on behalf of everyone who accesses news from social media.
CHD President and General Counsel Mary Holland highlights the dangers of government censorship, stating, “If the government can censor its critics, there is no atrocity it cannot commit.”
This lawsuit aims to end government censorship, which must be abolished as it is unlawful under the Constitution.
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It’s time to stand up for the right to free speech and the preservation of democracy in America.
By supporting this class action lawsuit, we are reaffirming the essential principles of liberty, transparency, and accountability that form the foundation of our great nation.
