Lobbying groups representing Facebook, Twitter, Google and other tech companies filed an emergency petition in the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday, seeking to block Texas law that prohibits users from accessing major social media platforms based on their political views.
Texas law went into effect Wednesday when the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted the state’s request to stay the district judge’s restraining order blocking the law.
The law prohibits social media companies with more than 50 million active users each month from banning members based on their political views and requires them to disclose how they control the content.
The law was signed into law by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in September.
Internet lobbying groups NetChoice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association filed a lawsuit against the move, and U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman in Austin, Texas, issued an early restraining order in December.
Pitman said the law would harm the free speech rights of social media companies under the First Amendment to the US Constitution.
Tech groups, in their emergency request, asked the Supreme Court to “allow the district court’s prudent reasoning to prevail when a streamlined appeal process is underway.”
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