{"id":578046,"date":"2021-06-30T20:05:28","date_gmt":"2021-07-01T00:05:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=578046"},"modified":"2021-06-30T20:05:37","modified_gmt":"2021-07-01T00:05:37","slug":"federal-judge-orders-florida-to-halt-bill-aimed-at-stopping-big-tech-censorship-of-conservatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-judge-orders-florida-to-halt-bill-aimed-at-stopping-big-tech-censorship-of-conservatives\/","title":{"rendered":"Federal Judge Orders Florida To Halt Bill Aimed At Stopping Big Tech Censorship Of Conservatives"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffederal-judge-orders-florida-to-halt-bill-aimed-at-stopping-big-tech-censorship-of-conservatives%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=578046&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><ul>\n<li><strong>A federal judge delivered a major setback to a recently-passed Florida law touted by Gov. Ron DeSantis and aimed at stopping Big Tech censorship of conservatives.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201cBalancing the exchange of ideas among private speakers is not a legitimate governmental interest,\u201d Judge Robert Hinkle wrote in his order Wednesday evening. \u201cAnd even aside from the actual motivation for this legislation, it is plainly content-based and subject to strict scrutiny.\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Technology trade groups NetChoice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association \u2014 which represent Facebook, Google, Amazon, Twitter and other large tech companies \u2014 filed a lawsuit challenging the legislation days after DeSantis signed it into law in May.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A federal judge delivered a major setback to a recently-passed Florida law touted by Gov. Ron DeSantis and aimed at stopping Big Tech censorship of conservatives.<\/p>\n<p>Judge Robert Hinkle, of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, ruled that the law <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/05\/24\/strongest-thing-any-state-has-done-ron-desantis-lauds-floridas-anti-big-tech-bill\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">signed<\/a> by DeSantis last month violated the First Amendment in a decision delivered Wednesday evening. Hinkle ordered Florida not to enforce the <a href=\"http:\/\/laws.flrules.org\/2021\/32\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">legislation<\/a>, which was set to go into effect on Thursday, until a final ruling is issued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBalancing the exchange of ideas among private speakers is not a legitimate governmental interest,\u201d Hinkle <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/513718011\/NetChoice-v-Moody\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">wrote in his order<\/a> Wednesday evening. \u201cAnd even aside from the actual motivation for this legislation, it is plainly content-based and subject to strict scrutiny.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is also subject to strict scrutiny because it discriminates on its face among otherwise-identical speakers,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n<p>Hinkle added that parts of the legislation are \u201cexpressly preempted\u201d by federal law.<\/p>\n<p>During a hearing Monday, Hinkle asked lawyers representing Florida if they had ever seen a more poorly-written law, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/06\/02\/cohn-trading-big-tech-for-big-government-will-backfire-for-conservatives\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">TechFreedom<\/a>, which participated in the hearing. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/05\/24\/ron-desantis-big-tech-ban-donald-trump-ayatollah-khomeini-iran-jews\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(RELATED: DeSantis Presses Reporter, Asks Why Iran Leader Allowed To \u2018Talk About Killing Jews\u2019 On Social Media But Trump Is Banned)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Technology trade groups NetChoice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association \u2014 which <a href=\"https:\/\/netchoice.org\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">represent<\/a> Facebook, Google, Amazon, Twitter and other large tech companies \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/docket\/59942201\/1\/netchoice-llc-v-moody\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">filed a lawsuit<\/a> challenging the legislation days after DeSantis signed it into law in May. They argued that the law was a \u201csmorgasbord of constitutional violations\u201d in the complaint.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7226817\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" readability=\"34\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7226817\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7226817\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/GettyImages-1322345172-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs two bills surrounded by officials on June 7 in Miami, Florida. (Joe Raedle\/Getty Images)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/GettyImages-1322345172-scaled-1.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/GettyImages-1322345172-180x120.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/GettyImages-1322345172-620x413-1.jpg 620w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/GettyImages-1322345172-768x512-1.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/GettyImages-1322345172-1536x1024-1.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/GettyImages-1322345172-2048x1365-1.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-7226817\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs two bills surrounded by officials on June 7 in Miami, Florida. (Joe Raedle\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cWe cannot stand idly by as Florida\u2019s lawmakers push unconstitutional bills into law that bring us closer to state-run media and a state-run internet,\u201d NetChoice Vice President and General Counsel Carl Szabo said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/netchoice.org\/media-press\/netchoice-and-ccia-sue-florida-unconstitutional-social-media-bill-circumvents-rights-afforded-under-the-first-amendment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">statement<\/a>. \u201cThe First Amendment protects social media platforms\u2019 right to host and moderate content as they see fit for their business models and users.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Several groups <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalcommons.law.scu.edu\/historical\/2474\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">filed briefs<\/a> in support of NetChoice\u2019s complaint including TechFreedom, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and the Media Law Resource Center.<\/p>\n<p>The bill would fine any social media company that suspends or bans a Florida political candidate from their platform $250,000 per day. It would award targeted candidates up to $100,000.<\/p>\n<p>The legislation would also prohibit tech companies from using algorithms to support or suppress certain political content.<\/p>\n<p>DeSantis <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/05\/24\/strongest-thing-any-state-has-done-ron-desantis-lauds-floridas-anti-big-tech-bill\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">characterized<\/a> the legislation as \u201chistoric\u201d and the \u201cstrongest thing that any state has done\u201d regarding Big Tech censorship.<\/p>\n<p>In January, former President Donald Trump was banned from multiple social media sites including <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/06\/04\/facebook-suspends-donald-trump-two-years\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Facebook<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/01\/08\/twitter-ban-trump-account\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Twitter<\/a>, which he had used to communicate throughout his presidency. Twitter also&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2020\/10\/14\/hawley-hunter-biden-email-new-york-post\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">censored<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2020\/10\/21\/new-york-post-locked-out-twitter-account-7-days\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cracked down<\/a>&nbsp;on users who shared a New York Post story in October, which&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2020\/10\/14\/report-hunter-biden-introduced-joe-burisma-executive\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reported<\/a>&nbsp;that it had obtained emails showing President Joe Biden and his son met with a Ukrainian gas company executive in 2015.<\/p>\n<p>Hinkle, who was <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Robert_Hinkle\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">appointed<\/a> by former President Bill Clinton, ruled against the DeSantis administration last year in a case involving a law that required felons to pay legal fees before they could regain their voting rights, the Associated Press <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/fl-state-wire-tallahassee-ron-desantis-us-news-ap-top-news-a91404d0db88bac1beb085f31d74c9df\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reported<\/a>. Hinkle said the the law created a \u201cpay to vote\u201d system.<\/p>\n<p>Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact <a href=\"mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A federal judge delivered a major setback to a recently-passed Florida law touted by Gov. Ron DeSantis and aimed at stopping Big Tech censorship of conservatives. \u201cBalancing the exchange &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2313801,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/GettyImages-1322345172-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"Federal Judge Orders Florida To Halt Bill Aimed At Stopping Big Tech Censorship Of Conservatives","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-578046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/GettyImages-1322345172-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"Federal Judge Orders Florida To Halt Bill Aimed At Stopping Big Tech Censorship Of Conservatives","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=578046"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/578046\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2313801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=578046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=578046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=578046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}