The US Supreme Court sidesteps the case related to the investigation into the Trump social media account

By John Kruzel

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a lawsuit brought by Elon Musk’s social media platform involving the former president’s Twitter account.

The judges rejected the company’s appeal of U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell’s order that barred it from informing Trump of special counsel Jack Smith’s arrest warrant and required the release of information without the judge first hearing X’s objections listened. X had called the order a violation of the US Constitution’s First Amendment, which limits the government’s ability to restrict speech.

In 2022, Musk purchased Twitter and rebranded it in efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden. The investigation ultimately led to criminal charges against Trump, in which he pleaded not guilty.

Trump is the Republican presidential candidate in the US election on November 5th.

While Trump’s Twitter posts are publicly viewable,

It was not clear whether Smith’s prosecution of Trump was based on information he received through the Twitter account.

Smith’s August 2023 indictment charged Trump with conspiracy to defraud the United States, corrupt obstruction of an official proceeding and conspiracy to do so, and conspiracy to defraud Americans’ right to vote.

In January 2023, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell approved Smith’s request for a search warrant directing X to produce records related to Trump’s Twitter account. The Washington-based judge also barred There would be an opportunity to destroy evidence and change patterns.” of conduct (or) notify the confederates.

The lawyers of

X also argued that Howell should have ruled on his First Amendment challenge before allowing prosecutors to execute the warrant in order to protect any Trump-related executive privilege claims. This legal principle allows certain records to be shielded from legislatures and courts to protect the ability of presidents to seek honest advice when making important decisions.

X initially refused to comply with the warrant, was arrested for contempt of court and fined $350,000 before submitting Trump’s records to the special counsel in February 2023.

On appeal, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld Howell’s decisions in August 2023, prompting X to appeal to the Supreme Court.

The legal team of

In response, Smith urged the justices to reject the appeal

The social media platform, then called Twitter, suspended Trump’s account in January 2021 – citing the risk of further incitement to violence after his supporters stormed the US Capitol – but changed its position under Musk, who described himself as a “free speech absolutist.”

Musk supported Trump in the presidential election. Trump has said that if elected, he would create a government efficiency commission led by Musk.

(Reporting by John Kruzel; Editing by Will Dunham)