Elon Musk’s Free Speech Fight: Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to SEC Settlement

Elon Musk’s appeal to remove his “Twitter sitter” was rejected by the Supreme Court. Musk had argued that this legal requirement, which stems from an agreement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), infringed upon his free speech rights. However, the court dismissed his claim.

In December, Musk petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn the settlement he had reached with the SEC in 2018 after falsely claiming on Twitter that he had secured funding to take Tesla private. Musk claimed that the settlement restricted his speech even in cases where it was truthful and posed a threat of fines or imprisonment for protected speech that was not pre-approved by the SEC. The court declined to take up the case and did not provide a reason for their decision.

Musk has a history of public disputes with government agencies. He has openly criticized the SEC, made disparaging remarks about President Joe Biden, and engaged in public disagreements with foreign officials. Recently, the SEC launched a new investigation into Tesla’s self-driving technology, which has faced scrutiny from regulators following several accidents. Musk’s contentious relationship with regulatory authorities highlights the ongoing challenges faced by his companies in navigating legal and regulatory landscapes.