GOP congressmen are taking action to protect speech after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to halt government censorship collusion with Big Tech.
Multiple Republican lawmakers have called for legislation to protect Americans’ First Amendment rights after the Supreme Court refused to restrict government censorship efforts. Following the 6-3 Murthy v. Missouri ruling Wednesday, congressmen urged legislative action. Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA), and Sens. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) and Rand Paul (R-KY), have even put forward free speech legislation.
Sen. Eric Schmitt, who filed the original lawsuit while serving as Missouri attorney general, posted in the ruling’s wake, “Now, Congress must step up and do our job to make sure Americans’ right to freedom of speech is not eroded any further. I call on Congress to pass my Censorship Accountability Act and my COLLUDE Act immediately.” The COLLUDE Act limits Section 230 protections for platforms, while the Censorship Accountability Act would allow redress for censored users from federal employees involved in censorship.
Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling, the Murthy v. Missouri case exposed nearly every part of the Biden Administration’s Orwellian “vast censorship enterprise.”
— Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) June 26, 2024
I was proud to file this case as Missouri’s AG. Justice Alito said not only was Biden’s actions were unconstitutional…
Similarly, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) urged the passage of his “Free Speech Protection Act so the government can no longer cloak itself in secrecy to undermine the First Amendment rights of Americans.” The Act would prevent federal employees from undermining free speech.
Meanwhile, Rep. Matt Gaetz called the ruling “a wake up call to all Americans,” adding, “Even with ‘conservative’ judges like Amy Coney Barrett, we can’t expect any help from the Courts. If we want to return to a free internet, we must be even stronger in Congress, and ensure that Biden is not in the White House in 2025.”
Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC) expressed his agreement with Justice Sam Alito’s dissenting opinion for the Murthy case in an X (formerly Twitter) post. Alito called out the Court’s “failure” to condemn unconstitutional “ham-handed censorship” and Bishop praised the opinion as “spot on.” Bishop added that it is now up to the other branches of government to protect freedom of speech. “That means it falls to Congress and the President to stop this unconstitutional abuse, and thus far both have utterly failed.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA) has already reintroduced the Free Speech Defense Act, a copy of which was obtained by The Daily Caller. The legislation, originally introduced in 2022, takes aim at Big Tech coordination from the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
The Daily Caller reported that the bill would ban federal funding for a disinformation board. It would also prevent federal direction or coercion to label, deplatform, or otherwise censor content and users. Clyde’s legislation further permits federal court enforcement against government if users provide evidence of free speech violations, and requires an annual report to Congress on federal compliance with the provisions.
Other lawmakers criticized the SCOTUS ruling too. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) posted, “Government became more powerful today … At the expense of the people and their liberty.” Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) emphasized Congressional investigation into tech-government censorship collusion. “The First Amendment is first for a reason … While we respectfully disagree with the Court's decision, our investigation has shown the need for legislative reforms.” Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH) echoed the same sentiment. “SCOTUS just ratified an assault on free speech and an attack by domestic enemies of our Constitution,” he insisted.
As Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) put it on Gettr, the Court clearly set a “very dangerous precedent,” one lawmakers seem determined to combat.
Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency, clarity on so-called “hate speech” and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us using MRC Free Speech America’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
