Robert F. Kennedy Jr. scored a legal victory this week as a federal judge ruled that his censorship lawsuit against the Biden administration can proceed. U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty found that Kennedy and his nonprofit organization, Children’s Health Defense (CHD), have a valid case against the administration, which they accuse of pressuring social-media companies to censor their content.
The lawsuit centers on claims that Kennedy and CHD were unfairly targeted due to their opposition to COVID-19 policies, including vaccine mandates and lockdown measures. According to the judge, there is substantial evidence that government officials, including those in the White House and the Office of the Surgeon General, coerced social-media companies to suppress Kennedy’s views.
Judge Doughty highlighted specific incidents, such as a White House official contacting Twitter shortly after President Biden took office to request the removal of Kennedy’s anti-vaccine content. The judge also noted that Facebook admitted to limiting the visibility of CHD’s content even though it did not violate the platform’s rules.
The ruling allows Kennedy’s case to move forward, potentially opening the door for more detailed investigations into government involvement in social-media censorship. The judge emphasized that Kennedy’s campaign could face ongoing harm if the government continues its alleged censorship practices.
This ruling comes in the wake of the Murthy v. Missouri case, where the Supreme Court denied standing to plaintiffs challenging similar censorship actions. However, Doughty’s decision in Kennedy’s case reflects a different outcome based on the specific evidence presented.
Kennedy’s legal team and free speech advocates have welcomed the decision, seeing it as a crucial step toward holding the government accountable for any overreach in its efforts to control online speech.
