By Ovasa Ogaga,
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal from Elon Musk's social media platform, X (formerly Twitter), challenging a judicial order that barred the company from notifying former President Donald Trump about a prosecutor's access to his account data. X argued the order infringed on its First Amendment rights by restricting communication with Trump.
The order, issued by U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell, granted Special Counsel Jack Smith’s request for access to Trump's direct messages and other non-public account information. The judge further directed X to hand over the records without first reviewing its objections, asserting that informing Trump could potentially jeopardize the investigation.
Smith’s investigation into Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election led to criminal charges, which Trump has denied. The data obtained from X included direct messages, draft posts, and other account metadata, although it remains unclear whether this information has influenced the case against Trump.
X's legal team argued that Judge Howell’s nondisclosure order breached the company’s right to free speech, requesting that the Supreme Court review the First Amendment implications of the order. X also contended that Howell should have considered the platform’s constitutional objections before allowing prosecutors to act on the warrant.
Previously, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld Judge Howell’s ruling. Despite X’s appeal, Smith urged the Supreme Court to dismiss the case, stating that the information had already been obtained, rendering the issue moot.
-(Reuters)
