WASHINGTON Reuters lobbyists from Facebook, Twitter, Google and other tech companies filed an emergency request with the US Supreme Court on Friday, seeking to block a Texas law that prohibits large social media platforms from banning users based on their political views.
The 5th U.S. law came into effect on Wednesday. The Circuit Court of Appeals granted the state's request for a stay of a district judge's injunction blocking the law.
The law prevents social media companies with more than 50 million active users from being able to ban members based on their political views and require them to publicly disclose how they moderate content.
In September, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, signed into law.
NetChoice and the Computer Communications Industry Association filed a lawsuit against the measure, and U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman in Austin, Texas, issued a preliminary injunction in December.
Pitman had found that the law would harm social media companies' free speech rights under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
The tech groups asked the Supreme Court to allow the District Court's careful reasoning to remain in effect while an orderly appellate process plays out.