CHD Responds to Federal Judge Blocking Biden Administration From Contacting Social Media Platforms in First Amendment Lawsuit

For Immediate Release

Washington, D.C. – Judge Terry A. Doughty of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana issued a preliminary injunction in Missouri v. Biden prohibiting multiple key Biden administration officials and agencies from having any contact with social media companies with the intent to discourage or censor speech protected by the First Amendment.

In his 155-page opinion, Judge Doughty wrote:

“The right of free speech is a fundamental constitutional right that is vital to the freedom of our nation, and Plaintiffs have produced evidence of a massive effort by Defendants, from the White House to federal agencies, to suppress speech based on its content. Defendants’ alleged suppression has potentially resulted in millions of free speech violations.”

Children’s Health Defense Chairman on leave Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is mentioned in the lawsuit regarding 2021 White House communications with Twitter requesting the removal of a Tweet from Kennedy regarding COVID-19 vaccines.

Kennedy responded to the judgment:

This is one of the most important First Amendment cases in our nation’s history. Missouri v. Biden concerns every American regardless of party affiliation, political ideology, personal beliefs or religion. Freedom of speech has been the central foundation stone of our democracy since our nation’s birth.

An American president has no right to wield White House power to silence his critics. These actions were anathema to our core American values and a disappointment to all those around the globe who see America as the world’s exemplary democracy.

CHD has two active lawsuits in front of Judge Daughty — CHD, et al. v. The Washington Post, et al. and Kennedy et al. v. Biden, et al.

Jed Rubenfeld, CHD lead counsel for the Plaintiffs, said:

The ruling in Missouri v. Biden is a tremendous victory for freedom of speech, recognizing and condemning unconstitutional federal involvement in social media censorship — and specifically in the censorship of CHD and Bobby Kennedy Jr.

As the Supreme Court reaffirmed just days ago, ‘If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is the principle that the government may not interfere with an uninhibited marketplace of ideas.’

CHD filed an amicus brief on behalf of Missouri v. Biden in April of this year. In yesterday’s ruling, Judge Doughty, recognizing Plaintiffs’ allegations that “the White House Defendants have ‘significantly encouraged’ and ‘coerced’ social media platforms to suppress protected free speech,” wrote that posts including content from CHD did not violate Facebook’s policies “but would nonetheless be suppressed.”

CHD Acting General Counsel Kim Mack Rosenberg said:

Americans have been deprived of not only their right to speak out about controversial issues — especially in the past three years — but also of the crucially important right to hear and assess various viewpoints.

Often the suppression of information countering government agendas comes from people whose salaries are provided by U.S. taxpayers. In issuing this preliminary injunction, Judge Doughty has taken an important step to restore the fundamental rights of every American.

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Children’s Health Defense® is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Our mission is to end childhood health epidemics by working aggressively to eliminate harmful exposures, hold those responsible accountable and establish safeguards to prevent future harm. We fight corruption, mass surveillance and censorship that put profits before people as well as advocate for worldwide rights to health freedom and bodily autonomy.

For more information or to donate to CHD and our ongoing lawsuits, visit ChildrensHealthDefense.org.

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