Hawley Accuses Twitter of Censoring Biden Article, Cites CDA Section 230 in SCOTUS Hearing
Twitter’s alleged censoring of a New York Post article on Hunter Biden is “unusual intervention that is not universally applied,” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., wrote CEO Jack Dorsey Wednesday. "I find this behavior stunning but not surprising from a platform…
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that has censored the President of the United States,” he wrote, saying it raises questions “about the applicability” of Twitter policy. Twitter didn’t comment by our deadline. Hawley also cited Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ recent statement urging the high court to consider reviewing Communications Decency Act Section 230’s language (see 2010130044), during SCOTUS nominee Amy Coney Barrett’s Wednesday confirmation hearing session. The Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on Barrett, which began Monday, hasn’t touched much on telecom and tech issues. Hawley’s Section 230 citation came as a reference in a question about courts’ authority to expand statute. Hawley noted Thomas’ assertion that courts had dramatically rewritten Section 230 in decisions since 1996. Barrett noted she hadn’t ruled on any Section 230 cases but said generally she sees a “danger” in courts substituting their own judgment in place of statutory language, which would subvert “the will of the people.” Hawley said he believes that's what courts have done in the case of Section 230.