Federal judge blocks the Florida social media ?censorship? law championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis

Hinkle made little effort at the hearing to hide his disdain for the law, saying it was “poorly drafted” and questioning why it offered an exemption for companies that operated theme parks in Florida — a seemingly naked attempt to give the state’s biggest tourist attractions special treatment even though none of them own social media platforms that the law would apply to.So it wasn’t much of a surprise when Hinkle granted the plaintiff’s request for a preliminary injunction, saying that the law was “an effort to rein in social media providers deemed too large and too liberal” and “not a legitimate government interest.” It was also discriminatory and potentially violated the First Amendment free speech rights of Big Tech platforms, as it did not apply to the smaller platforms or any platforms owned by a company with a theme park in Florida. “We will continue to fight big tech censorship and protect the First Amendment rights of Floridians.”The Supreme Court is currently considering whether to block a similar state law from Texas.Regardless of what ultimately happens to DeSantis’s law, he got to take his shot at Big Tech and repeat unfounded claims popular with many in the Republican Party — and in the process, he gained political capital for his anticipated 2024 presidential run.Update, May 24, 2022: Updated to include the Court of Appeals’ decision in the social media case.Will you support Vox’s explanatory journalism?