X Sues New York Over Hate Speech Law, Citing Free Speech Violation

Social media platform X has filed a lawsuit against the state of New York, arguing that a recently enacted hate speech law infringes on constitutional free speech protections.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, challenges a state law that took effect in December. The law requires social media companies to report on measures they’ve taken to moderate hate speech on their platforms.

In its court filing, X contends that the legislation unlawfully interferes with content moderation practices and imposes restrictions that could chill free expression online.

“The law threatens open discourse by pressuring platforms to police speech based on vague and subjective criteria,” the company said, adding that it undermines the ability of users and platforms to engage in meaningful debate about what qualifies as hate speech.

X argued that the state’s involvement in moderating online content raises serious constitutional concerns, particularly regarding the First Amendment.

This marks the second legal battle X has launched against state-level content regulations. In 2024, the company successfully challenged a similar law in California, resulting in the repeal of a requirement for platforms to submit reports on hate speech moderation.

The outcome of the New York case could have broad implications for how U.S. states attempt to regulate online speech and how far social media platforms can go in resisting such oversight.