A Monday court ruling stopped three legal orders to deposition Biden administration officials in a social media censorship lawsuit.
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals case included censorship regarding the pandemic and Hunter Biden's laptop.
Appeals court blocks Biden administration officials from being deposed in social media censorship lawsuit https://t.co/pfbReEYsNL pic.twitter.com/kujTDsIrZ3
— New York Post (@nypost) November 22, 2022
"A panel on the federal appeals court overruled Louisiana District Judge Terry Doughty, who in October compelled Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly, and White House Director of Digital Strategy Rob Flaherty to schedule deposition in a lawsuit brought in May by Republican attorneys general Eric Schmitt of Missouri and Jeff Landry of Louisiana," the New York Post reported.
"The panel argued that Doughty did not examine whether the information sought by Schmitt and Landry could be obtained by other means. The two attorneys general are trying to prove that President Biden and other top officials deprived Americans of their First Amendment rights by pressuring social media companies to censor material," it added.
NEW: Biden admin notches win at 5th Cir as appeals court halts depositions for 3 top admin officials ( @Surgeon_General @RFlaherty46 @CISAJen ) in red-state AGs suit claiming soclal-media censorship https://t.co/vRussK2Pm6
— Josh Gerstein (@joshgerstein) November 22, 2022
"Before any of the depositions may go forward, the district court must analyze whether the information sought can be obtained through less intrusive, alternative means, such as further written discovery or depositions of lower-ranking officials," the appeals court declared in the order, according to Politico.
"It is not enough, as the district court found, that these officials may have 'personal knowledge' about certain communications. That knowledge may be shared widely or have only marginal importance in comparison to the 'potential burden' imposed on the deponent," it added.
The ruling puts the depositions on hold, but is not a final decision in the case.
The legal battle against those requested in the hearing will instead require further clarity to request a future deposition.
According to Politico's reporting, the lawsuit could also include former White House press secretary Jen Psaki. So far, she has escaped investigation but could be included in a future deposition.
The current ruling makes the investigation more difficult, but the battle will continue to move forward regarding the left's social media censorship.
Source: New York Post
