Rumble says Second Circuit to hear oral argument in free speech case on Friday

On February 16, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit will hear oral argument on behalf of First Amendment professor and legal blogger Eugene Volokh and social media platforms Rumble and Locals. Volokh, Rumble, and Locals are represented by attorneys from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a national free speech group. In December 2022, Volokh, Rumble, and Locals sued the state of New York after it enacted a law that forces websites to “respond (to),” “address” and “handle” protected speech that someone, somewhere finds “humiliating” or “vilifying” toward a group based on race, color, religion, or other protected categories. A federal judge ruled that New York’s law was likely unlawful, and after FIRE won an injunction against the law, New York appealed to the Second Circuit.