Court Enjoins Texas Social Media “Censorship” Law

On December 1, 2021, Judge Pitman of the Western District of Texas granted a preliminary injunction to prevent the Texas Attorney General from enforcing HB 20. NetChoice v. Paxton. HB 20 prohibits large social media platforms from “censoring” content based on “viewpoint.” By enacting HB 20, Texas legislators sought to regulate content moderation decisions by social media platforms they believed opposed conservative views. Texas Governor Greg Abbott made this goal clear by tweeting, “Silencing conservative views is un-American, it’s un-Texan and it’s about to be illegal in Texas.” The Court found that this law burdened social media platforms’ First Amendment rights and enjoined its enforcement.