Federal Judge Upholds California Law Mandating X Disclose Content Moderation Policies

The ruling deals a blow to Elon Musk’s X, which challenged the law.

Elon Musk, chief executive Officer of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of X, formerly known as Twitter, attends the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at the Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, France, on June 16, 2023. Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters

On Thursday, a federal judge in California dealt a blow to Elon Musk’s X platform, formerly Twitter, ruling against the company’s bid to block a state law mandating the public disclosure of its content moderation policies.

The decision, delivered by U.S. District Judge William Shubb, rejects X’s claim that the law infringes on its free speech rights under both the U.S. Constitution and the California Constitution.