Social Media Laws Violate Speech Rights, DOJ Tells Supreme Court

President Joe Biden’s administration urged the US Supreme Court to strike down key parts of Florida and Texas laws that would sharply restrict the editorial discretion of the largest social media platforms.

In a court filing Monday, US Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar said the Republican-backed measures violate the First Amendment rights of social media companies by limiting their freedom to decide how material is presented and requiring detailed explanations for content-moderation decisions.

“When a social-media platform selects, edits, and arranges third-party speech for presentation to the public, it engages in activity protected by the First Amendment,” Prelogar argued. The ...