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In a recent federal court case, Missouri v. Biden, Judge Terry A. Doughty questioned the Biden administration’s commitment to free speech and asked whether they had ever read George Orwell’s classic novel “1984.”
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The Missouri v. Biden case, presided over by Judge Doughty, appointed by former President Donald Trump, challenges the alleged collaboration between the Biden administration and Big Tech social media platforms to censor Americans. After a hearing last week, Missouri’s Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey took to Twitter to share excerpts from the proceedings that favored free speech values.
Bailey revealed that Judge Doughty compared the current situation to the dystopian world depicted in “1984,” suggesting that censorship and suppression of conservative viewpoints should be a cause for concern. Furthermore, Doughty pressed the Biden administration’s attorneys for answers on whether specific types of speech, such as questioning government authority on matters like mask-wearing or vaccine efficacy, are protected under the First Amendment. In response, the attorneys provided vague, non-committal answers, stating that “it depends” or that protection “could be” offered in some cases, but not always.
Similar evasive responses were given when the judge asked if the First Amendment covers statements blaming Biden for high gas prices and inflation, as well as claims that the 2020 election was stolen. Bailey also reported that the judge questioned if the federal government had any examples of liberals being censored for sharing “misinformation.” Although the administration’s lawyers claimed that one liberal had been censored, they did not disclose the individual’s identity, arguing that they were a political opponent
