In a major win for the basic American right of freedom of speech that could have national implications, a Los Angeles County Judge has ruled a civil trial against County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer’s draconian and censorious health department will move forward to trial in two weeks.

At issue is the legality of a July, 2022 decision by Ferrer to cut off the comments sections on department websites, thereby leaving the public unable to discuss – on a taxpayer funded forum – pandemic policy and her department’s subsequent convincing of Twitter (X) to dump the account of a local parents’ group (the group that sued) opposed to her policies.

Tuesday, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge William Fahey dismissed a county motion for summary judgment to throw out the case brought by attorney Julie Hamill on behalf of the Alliance of Los Angeles County Parents.

Fahey ruled that significant issues of fact remain at stake, including whether or not the health department closed public comments specifically to quash criticism – something it cannot do – and if the department connived – through its DC connections – to have the Alliance tossed off Twitter (this was pre-Musk ownership….)

Important, beyond the fact that the case will move forward is one of the reasons why it will move forward – the ongoing federal censorship case known as Missouri V. Biden.

In that case, a number of private plaintiffs and states’ attorneys general claim that the federal government illegally pressured social media firms and others to remove, block, and or defame content that did not follow the official COVID pandemic narrative.
Two of the private plaintiffs in Missouri v. Biden – Dr. Jay Bhattacharya of Stanford and Dr. Aaron Kheriaty of the Ethics and Public Policy Center – were thrilled by the news their case is already having impacts nationwide….

Kheriaty was fired from his position at UC Irvine for suing the school over its vaccine mandate policies and both were subject to extensive interference on and outright bans – most likely caused by the federal government – by various social media companies….

From California Globe