Technology trade groups NetChoice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) — which represent Facebook, Google, Amazon, Twitter and other large tech companies — filed the lawsuit challenging the legislation days after DeSantis signed it into law in May. They argued that the law was a “smorgasbord of constitutional violations” in the complaint.
“We cannot stand idly by as Florida’s lawmakers push unconstitutional bills into law that bring us closer to state-run media and a state-run internet,” NetChoice Vice President and General Counsel Carl Szabo said in a May statement. “The First Amendment protects social media platforms’ right to host and moderate content as they see fit for their business models and users.”
On Wednesday, NetChoice and the CCIA applauded Hinkle’s ruling. CCIA President Matt Schruers called it a “win for internet users and the First Amendment.”
Several groups had filed briefs in support of NetChoice’s complaint including TechFreedom, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and the Media Law Resource Center.