Twitter Sues To Halt Texas AG's Probe Of Trump Ban

Twitter TWTR is suing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to halt his state’s investigation into the company’s decision to remove former President Donald Trump from its platform.

What Happened: According to a Texas Tribune report, Paxton sent a civil investigative demand in January to Twitter and four other companies: Alphabet’s GOOGL GOOG Google, Amazon AMZN Web Services, Apple AAPL and Facebook FB.

The letter was sent after Trump was banned from the respective platforms following the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Paxton accused the companies of "the seemingly coordinated de-platforming of the president" and demanded to see internal communications and records on how the companies determined content moderation policies.

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What Happens Next: In a lawsuit filed in a California federal court, Twitter said it is seeking to prevent Paxton from “unlawfully abusing his authority as the highest law-enforcement officer of the State of Texas to intimidate, harass, and target Twitter in retaliation for Twitter’s exercise of its First Amendment rights.”

The company added that Paxton was using “the full weight of his office, including his expansive investigatory powers, to retaliate against Twitter for having made editorial decisions with which he disagrees.”

Separate from Paxton’s investigation, the Texas legislature is now considering Senate Bill 12, which would prohibit social media companies from blocking, banning or demonetizing users based on their political views or their location inside Texas.

TWTR Price Action: Twitter shares were up 6.98% at $67.91 at last check Tuesday. 

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Ken Paxton. Photo courtesy Office of Texas Attorney General.