NE Wyoming News

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Harriet Hageman, alongside co-lead Dan Bishop (NC-08), introduced the Standing to Challenge Government Censorship Act on July 31, 2024. The bill aims to provide a private right of action against federal employees and agencies that collaborate with social media platforms to censor constitutionally protected speech. This legislation is intended to address the standing issue in Murthy v. Missouri, which previously prevented states and citizens from obtaining relief.

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has introduced the bill in the Senate.

Representative Hageman stated, “I have repeatedly said that the government cannot do by proxy what it is prohibited from doing directly. This is exactly what happened with the Biden Administration pressuring social media companies to suppress the free speech of American citizens. The Standing to Challenge Government Censorship Act will not only ensure future litigants would have standing but also would apply to the plaintiffs in Murthy."

She added, “Our forefathers ratified the First Amendment recognizing that government actors would always seek to control public discourse in order to protect their own power structure. No one has a monopoly on truth, and the Biden administration and federal agencies are not entitled to declare that Americans' speech is 'mis-information,' 'dis-information,' or 'mal-information' and silence the message, especially when you consider how much accurate and truthful information was squelched during Covid-19 and the 2020 election. We will continue to fight to protect our First Amendment rights.”

Representative Bishop commented, “Americans have a God-given right to free expression, and the constant attacks on the First Amendment from government bureaucrats make safeguarding that right all the more important. Malicious actors within government should never be allowed to silence and censor Americans, and Americans targeted by the Censorship Industrial Complex deserve their day in court. This legislation will ensure just that by removing barriers for judicial review and cracking down on those who aim to trample on the First Amendment.”

Dr. Paul stated, “Americans are a free people, and we do not take infringements upon our liberties lightly. Our Founding Fathers enshrined the First Amendment to protect our God-given right to free expression, recognizing its fundamental importance to a free society. With the Standing to Challenge Government Censorship Act, we will strip away the barriers preventing judicial review of coercive government tactics that silence dissenting voices and ensure that no government official or contractor can undermine the First Amendment rights of Americans. We must confront and dismantle this censorship apparatus to protect our fundamental right to free speech."

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Contact: Chris Berardi, Sr. Advisor/Communications Director