Murthy v. Missouri Issues Settlement:Misinformation Protected as Free Speech

Kate Liebl ‘26

Lead Editor

Murthy v. Missouri, originally heard by the Supreme Court in 2024, alleged the Biden administration’s use of censorship across social media regarding misinformation on the Covid-19 pandemic. Many argued that these claims were not protected free speech because they were not factual.

The case, also known as Biden v. Missouri, was dismissed by the Supreme Court, as the plaintiff was unable to provide a direct connection that the Biden administration was behind any censorship efforts.

The case was once again brought to light recently, as a consent degree was pushed forward. According to the Free Speech Center, the decree directly banned government officials from “threatening social media companies with some form of punishment unless they remove… certain content.”

Shortly following this decree, the Justice Department announced the settlement of the case in favor of the plaintiff, with Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate, saying “no one should have their right to engage in constitutionally protected speech online infringed by unlawful government coercion.”

This resolution sets the precedent that false claims are protected under the first amendment, which will likely further the spread of misinformation. This settlement makes it far more important to confirm the validity of news from social media.