Saying it “overstepped state power,” a federal judge has blocked a ban on the social media site TikTok instituted by the Montana state government from going into effect, a significant strike against conservatives who want to block access to the Chinese-owned site particularly popular with young people.

According to NBC News, Clinton-appointed Senior District Judge Donald Molloy commented that users sign up for the service voluntarily and voluntarily giving their information to the app, a comment to which prompted Montana Solicitor General Christian Corrigan to assert the Republican state government needed to limit people’s freedom to do what they chose because Montanans are smart and they “don’t know what they’re doing. They’re exposing themselves to the Chinese military. So we need to say ‘ban TikTok citizens from exercising certain individual liberties.’”

Republican Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, famous for assaulting a reporter, signed the bill in May, and the ban would have gone into effect in January 2024, resulting in a fine of up to $10,000 for each time someone in Montana had the app advertised to them or was offered the opportunity to download the app.  TikTok or the app store would have been responsible for the fine, not the individual who downloaded the app because, y’know, Republicans are the Party of Personal Responsibility.  But then, Gianforte bodyslammed a reporter when he was asked a question about the Affordable Care Act, which is a completely rational response.