Trump’s Fight Over Twitter Ban Draws Biden’s DOJ Intervention

(Bloomberg) -- Former President Donald Trump’s legal battle to reverse his permanent ban from Twitter Inc.’s social-media platform has a new combatant: the Biden administration.

The Justice Department on Thursday asked to intervene in the lawsuit Trump brought against Twitter for the “limited purpose” of defending the constitutionality of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, which gives internet companies broad legal immunity over their moderation of user-generated content. 

Trump’s October motion for an order forcing the company to reinstate his account while the litigation is pending included a claim that Section 230 is unconstitutional. The law has become a target of conservatives who say it allows left-leaning tech companies to censor right-wing voices.

The former president’s @RealDonaldTrump Twitter account had nearly 90 million followers before he was banned for inciting violence following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Last month he announced a SPAC-backed media venture which he claims will rival Twitter in its reach. 

The government asked U.S. District Judge James Donato to set a Dec. 9 deadline to file a memorandum outlining its arguments. A federal judge in Miami in October granted Twitter’s motion to transfer the case to the company’s home turf in California, citing the terms of its user agreement.

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