Elon Musk’s X Corp has filed a federal lawsuit against New York state, claiming that a new law requiring social media companies to disclose their handling of hate speech, extremism, disinformation, and harassment is unconstitutional. The lawsuit argues that the “Stop Hiding Hate Act” violates both the U.S. First Amendment and the New York State Constitution by coercing platforms to report on “highly sensitive and controversial speech.”
Filed in Manhattan federal court, X asserts that the law improperly imposes civil penalties—up to $15,000 per violation per day—unless companies disclose how they moderate objectionable content. The suit cites the difficulty of defining acceptable speech and warns that such governmental involvement risks infringing on free expression. “This is not a role that the government may play,” X stated.
The law, backed by Democrats Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblymember Grace Lee with support from the Anti-Defamation League, was signed by Governor Kathy Hochul in December. It echoes a similar California law that was partially blocked in 2023 over First Amendment concerns, leading to a February 2024 settlement in which California agreed not to enforce the law against X.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, named as the defendant, has not yet commented on the suit. Musk, a self-described free speech absolutist and close ally of President Donald Trump, eliminated many of Twitter’s previous content moderation policies after acquiring the platform for $44 billion in 2022.
Swifteradio.com
