Court rules in favor of Texas law on social media regulation

By PAUL J. WEBER
Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A federal appeals court has ruled in favor of a Texas law targeting major social media companies like Facebook and Twitter. The ruling Friday by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans is a victory for Republicans who accuse the platforms of censoring conservative speech. But the decision is not likely the last word on a legal battle that has stakes beyond Texas and could affect how some of the world’s biggest tech companies regulate content by their users. A similar law was also passed in Florida and ruled unconstitutional by a separate appeal court. The Texas law has been challenged by tech trade groups that warn that it would prevent platforms from removing extremism and hate speech.