(Texas Scorecard) – A lawsuit filed by Elon Musk’s social media platform X against the leftist attack dog Media Matters will proceed following a recent ruling.
According to court filings, Musk sued the company for manipulating and then misrepresenting user experiences on X. This was accomplished by gaming the algorithm to pair pro-Nazi content with that of corporate advertisers.
Then, Media Matters reported X was running advertisements from significant corporations alongside pro-Nazi material, a maneuver that was ultimately paired with a boycott campaign.
Media Matters had hoped to have the case tossed on a technicality: Texas was an improper venue. U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor of the Northern District of Texas rejected that argument.
O’Connor justified his ruling by pointing out that the calls to stop advertising on X targeted Texas companies, including AT&T and Oracle. Also, users in the state would consume the content produced by Media Matters.
The leftwing outfit is accused of tortious interference with a contract, interference with prospective contracts, and business disparagement.
Musk’s suit isn’t the only recent activity with Media Matters and X. Two attorneys general, including Texas’ Ken Paxton, are investigating Media Matters and its activities. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, an Obama appointee from Patan, India, recently ruled that these investigations should stop.
Last week, X was banned by a jurist in Brazil, and social media posts in Europe resulted in users facing jail time. The French government has also arrested the founder of Telegram, a popular messaging app.
In an era when the state has increasingly weaponized the courts against their enemies, Musk represents an emergent part of the new right, taking the fight directly to the left and abandoning self-imposed constraints on such activity.