Nov. 30 Case Management Hearing Set in NetChoice’s Challenge of Ark. Social Media Law

U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks for Western Arkansas in Fayetteville set a case management hearing Nov. 30 at 1:30 p.m. CST in NetChoice’s lawsuit to strike down SB-396, the Arkansas age-verification Social Media Safety Act, said Brooks’ signed initial scheduling order Wednesday (docket 5:23-cv-05105). Brooks anticipates at the hearing being able to set a trial date to come about four months after the completion of discovery, said his order. The purpose of the hearing is to assess the “pretrial needs of the case,” and to help the court craft an “appropriately tailored” case management order, it said. Counsel should be prepared “to identify and discuss all genuinely disputed issues of fact and law,” it said. Brooks “will also hear argument on any pending motions which may be ripe for consideration,” it said. The judge in an Aug. 31 order granted NetChoice’s motion for a preliminary injunction to block Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin (R) from enforcing SB-396 (see 2309010024). NetChoice won the injunction only hours before SB-396 was to take effect Sept. 1.