La. Judge Says He’s Now ‘Inclined’ to Rule on RFK Jr.’s Motion for WH Injunction

Days after the U.S. Supreme Court denied Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s motion to intervene in Missouri v. Biden (see 2312110052), U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty for Western Louisiana in Monroe said in a signed order Wednesday (docket 3:22-cv-01213) that he’s now “inclined” to issue a ruling on Kennedy’s April 12 motion for a preliminary injunction enjoining Biden administration officials from conversing with social media companies about censoring Kennedy’s protected speech. Doughty, who issued the July 4 injunction against administration officials that’s now before SCOTUS, previously stayed Kennedy’s injunction motion until after SCOTUS resolves Missouri v. Biden. In light of Doughty's consolidating Kennedy’s case with Missouri v. Biden July 24, it’s “unclear” whether that consolidation “interferes with the court’s jurisdiction” over Kennedy’s injunction motion, said the order. Doughty ordered the parties to submit briefs on whether he can issue a ruling on the injunction, despite the related case being before SCOTUS. The government’s brief will be due Dec. 20. The plaintiffs in Missouri v. Biden, including the Republican attorneys general of Missouri and Louisiana, will respond seven days later, said the order. Justice Samuel Alito, in dissenting from the SCOTUS decision denying Kennedy's motion to intervene, specifically cited as grounds for his dissent that Kennedy's motion for an injunction was "stuck" in the district court and likely won't be decided until June. Denying Kennedy's motion to intervene in Missouri v. Biden will cause Kennedy "irreparable harm" because censorship of his protected speech on social media would prevent him for months from communicating with voters during his independent run for president, said Alito.