Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson:
— Free Speech America (@FreeSpeechAmer) March 18, 2024
“My biggest concern is that your view has the First Amendment hamstringing the government in significant ways.”pic.twitter.com/xhrvWJKLuJ
Social media users were shocked and slightly bemused at Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s comments on the First Amendment Monday.
The Supreme Court heard Murthy v. Missouri, a case challenging the Biden administration’s alleged coordination with Big Tech to censor certain messages.
The case stemmed from a lawsuit brought by Republican-led states Missouri and Louisiana that accused high-ranking government officials of working with social media companies "under the guise of combating misinformation" that ultimately led to censoring speech on topics that included Hunter Biden’s laptop, COVID-19 origins and the efficacy of face masks — which the states argued was a First Amendment violation.
As the justices questioned whether the Biden administration crossed the constitutional line, Jackson appeared to suggest that such actions can be justified.
"My biggest concern is that your view has the First Amendment hamstringing the federal government in significant ways in the most important time periods," she told the lawyer representing Louisiana, Missouri and private plaintiffs.
