Elon Musk arrives on the red carpet for The Met Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art celebrating the Costume Institute opening of “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” in New York City on Monday, May 2, 2022. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI |
License PhotoFeb. 19 (UPI) — Trump Media, the parent of Truth Social, filed a lawsuit against a Brazilian Supreme Court justice in Florida for violating the First Amendment for suspending certain conservative media accounts in the South American country.
The target of the lawsuit, Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, took on Trump confidant Elon Musk and his social platform X in Brazil last year, even ordering it to be shut down temporarily for not naming a representative, which was required by law there.
The lawsuit charges that a well-known Brazilian political commentator who is in the United States has been suspended by Moraes.
“The gag order, as issued, censor legitimate political discourse in the United States, undermines fundamental constitutional protections enshrined in the First Amendment,” said Trump Media’s lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in Tampa.
While the lawsuit acknowledges there is no agreement that Moraes’ gag order against the Brazilian commentator can be enforced internationally, it hopes the court will at least rule that Moraes’ order cannot be enforced and recognized in the United States.
The lawsuit comes a day after former right-wing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, was slammed with charges of attempting a coup to stay in power following his 2022 election to the current Brazilian president.
Trump Media CEO, former Congressman Devin Nunes, said the lawsuit is solely about protecting freedom of speech in the United States. Rumble, which provides cloud infrastructure for Truth Social, is also part of the lawsuit.
“This is not just a slogan, it’s the core mission of this company,” Nunes said, according to CNBC. “We’re proud to join our partner Rumble in standing against unjust demands for political censorship regardless of who makes it.”
