Washington Post: “A federal judge on Wednesday blocked a Florida law that would penalize social media companies for blocking a politician’s posts, a blow to conservatives’ efforts to respond to Facebook and other websites’ suspension of former President Donald Trump. The law was due to go into effect Thursday, but in issuing a preliminary injunction, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle of the Northern District of Florida suggested that the law would be found unconstitutional. ‘The plaintiffs are likely to prevail on the merits of their claim that these statutes violate the First Amendment,’ Hinkle wrote. ‘There is nothing that could be severed and survive.’ The law laid out fines for tech companies that suspended political candidates in the run-up to an election.”

“Florida legislators approved the law after Facebook, Twitter and YouTube suspended Trump’s accounts for violating their policies following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a potential 2024 presidential candidate and key Trump ally, touted the law as a stand against alleged censorship of conservatives when he signed it in May. But legal experts and tech experts immediately questioned the constitutionality of the law. Netchoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association, which represent companies including Facebook, Google and Amazon, swiftly brought a lawsuit challenging it. ‘This decision upholding the Constitution and federal law is encouraging, and reaffirms what we have been saying: Florida’s statute is an extraordinary overreach, designed to penalize private businesses for their perceived lack of deference to the Government’s political ideology,’ CCIA President Matt S said in a statement. ‘The court’s ruling is a win for internet users and the First Amendment.'”