Robert F. Kennedy asked the court to stop Google from removing his YouTube videos.
A federal appeals court on Aug. 26 declined to block Google from removing Robert F. Kennedy’s videos, ruling that Kennedy has not shown that the California-based company was a state actor when taking down the videos.
Kennedy’s lawyers said in a request for a preliminary injunction that Google was acting on advice from government officials when it removed multiple videos for allegedly violating the company’s medical misinformation policy. The lawyers requested an injunction blocking Google from removing additional videos from Kennedy’s YouTube page.
“Americans may agree with Mr. Kennedy’s views. They may disagree with them. They may vote for Kennedy or reject him at the ballot box. Whatever the case, our Constitution requires that voters have an unfettered chance to hear Mr. Kennedy speak. That is the only way they can make an educated decision when exercising their right to vote,” they said in their motion.
Google said it was merely applying its own policy and urged the court to deny the request.
U.S. District Judge Trina L. Thompson in 2023 sided with Google, finding that Kennedy had not established Google as a state actor and, therefore, rights from