Court Grants Texas Partial Extension in Social Media Lawsuit

A court partially granted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s (R) deadline extension Friday in the tech industry’s lawsuit against the state’s social media law (case 1:21-cv-00840). U.S. District Court in Austin set Paxton’s response deadline for Nov. 22, more than a week before the new law’s Dec. 2 effective date. The Computer & Communications Industry Association and NetChoice accused Texas of delay tactics in the case. The court granted Texas expedited discovery. “It would prejudice Plaintiffs to impose a briefing schedule that goes beyond the effective date when a shorter timeframe for expedited discovery would still provide Defendant with a ‘fair opportunity to oppose the application and to prepare for such opposition,’” the court said.