CASE
SUMMARY
This case uncovered a vast operation emanating from the highest levels of government. NCLA revealed how agencies and the White House directed social media companies to censor viewpoints that conflicted with federal government messaging on topics ranging from Covid-19 to elections. These egregious First Amendment violations silenced NCLA’s clients and many other Americans.
In June 2024, the Supreme Court vacated the Preliminary Injunction in this case that barred many government officials from coercing and significantly encouraging social media platforms to censor constitutionally protected speech. The Supreme Court wrongly held that NCLA clients Jill Hines and Dr. Aaron Kheriaty—as well as then-clients Drs. Jayanta Bhattacharya and Martin Kulldorff who later had to withdraw from this case upon joining the Trump Administration—lacked standing to support a preliminary injunction. However, NCLA returned to district court and continued fighting efforts to dismiss the case after the Supreme Court’s ruling.
NCLA ultimately reached a settlement agreement and consent decree in March 2026 that prohibits the U.S. Surgeon General, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) from threatening social media companies into removing or suppressing constitutionally protected speech on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn and YouTube. It also bars these government authorities from directing or vetoing the companies’ social media content moderation choices.