New York Online Hate Speech Law Is Blocked by US Judge (1)

A federal judge blocked enforcement of New York’s new law prohibiting hate speech on social media, ruling the measure violates the Constitution’s protection of free speech.

US District Judge Andrew L. Carter Jr. on Tuesday sided with the Volokh Conspiracy legal blog and Peter Thiel-backed video site Rumble Inc., which claimed in a lawsuit that the law will hurt online services and silence disfavored viewpoints.

The law requires social-media networks to make it easy for users to report “incidents of hateful conduct” and to respond to complaints explaining how the matter is being handled.

The Hateful Conduct Law ...