Federal judge blocks Florida law targeting social media platforms

A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked a new Florida law regulating how social media companies can moderate content, saying hours before the law was set to take effect that the legislation violates the First Amendment and contradicts federal law.

The preliminary injunction is a victory for Silicon Valley and a setback for conservatives in Florida's government who had advocated for the measure as a way to rein in Big Tech's alleged liberal agenda. But the decision could also further energize Republicans in Congress to push new legislation on content moderation at the federal level. The Florida law, signed in May by Gov. Ron DeSantis, would have gone into effect Thursday. It would have barred online platforms from suspending politicians and allowed politicians to sue tech companies for having been removed from social media. It would also have restricted companies accused of antitrust violations from doing business with the state government.