"Judge Alonso cited a unanimous Supreme Court decision from a 2024 case that pitted the NRA against the former superintendent of the New York Department of Financial Services, Maria Vullo. In that case, the court ruled that '[g]overnment officials cannot attempt to coerce private parties in order to punish or suppress views that the government disfavors.'"
"Alonso's decision continues, saying, 'Here, [Pam] Bondi and [Kristi] Noem did exactly that. They reached out to Facebook and Apple and demanded, rather than requested, that Facebook and Apple censor Plaintiff's speech.'"
"In the case of the ICE Sightings Facebook group, then Attorney General Pam Bondi bragged on X that an unnamed group 'being used to dox and target' ICE agents had been taken down after the DOJ reached out to Meta."
"It's likely that the government will appeal this decision, and the fight will continue. But the unanimous nature of the precedent set by the Supreme Court in 2024 suggests the Trump administration is facing an uphill battle."
Judge Jorge L. Alonso ruled that the Trump Administration's pressure on Facebook and Apple to remove ICE-tracking groups and apps violated the First Amendment. He granted a preliminary injunction to plaintiffs Kassandra Rosado and Kreisau Group. Alonso referenced a unanimous Supreme Court decision from 2024, which stated that government officials cannot coerce private entities to suppress disfavored views. The ruling indicates that the Trump administration may face challenges if it appeals, given the strong precedent established by the Supreme Court.
Read at The Verge
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