California Rep. Devin Nunes cannot sue Twitter for defamation, according to a federal judge, who said the internet social media company is shielded from libel suits by federal law even if it shows bias in what content it allows.
Judge John Marshall issued his ruling in the case on Friday, saying Twitter “was immune” from the defamation claims of Nunes, who also named users behind two anonymous accounts and Republican consultant Liz Mair in his $250 million lawsuit.
Marshall said that previous court cases had already settled that the law known as Section 230, which differentiates social media platforms from websites that exercise editorial control, applies even if the company shows bias in what content it allows people to post, the Fresno Bee reported.
The ruling could revive arguments made by President Donald Trump to strip social media outlets of their protection if they exercise judgment in what is allowed to be posted and what is not.
The lawsuit can still go forward against Mair and the generators of the two anonymous accounts, but it strips Nunes of any leverage to compel Twitter to reveal the names of the anonymous users, TheHill.com reported.
“We’re trying to figure out who they are, and we read the comments on Twitter, as painful as it is, we do that every day,” Nunes’ lawyer Steven Bliss said, “But we’re at a dead end.”
Nunes told Newsmax TV that Twitter had closed a parody account critical of New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, but would not act against an account that claims to be Nunes’ cow, a reference to his dairy farming history, and his mother.
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