The Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) and Rumble are celebrating a “complete victory for free speech” after a Florida judge’s ruling.
The Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) and Rumble are celebrating a “complete victory for free speech” after a Florida judge declared they do not have to comply with a Brazilian Supreme Court justice’s attempt to censor political rhetoric.
TMTG, the parent company of Truth Social and Rumble, a video-sharing platform dedicated to free speech, was seeking a temporary restraining order against Justice Alexandre de Moraes for attempting to “illegally censor American companies operating primarily on American soil.”
TMTG and Rumble accused Moraes of issuing a “blatantly unlawful gag order” on political discourse “outside the scope of Justice Moraes’s authority” under Brazilian law because it impacts American companies.
U.S. District Judge Mary Scriven ruled that TMTG and Rumble don’t need to bother with a temporary restraining order because they don’t have to comply with Moraes.
Scriven ruled on Tuesday that pronouncements and directives purportedly issued by Moraes “were not served upon Plaintiffs in compliance with the Hague Convention, to which the United States and Brazil are both signatories, nor were they served pursuant to the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty between the United States and Brazil.”
The judge also ruled there was no known “action taken by Defendant or the Brazilian government to domesticate the orders or pronouncements pursuant to established protocols.”
“For these reasons, under well-established law, Plaintiffs are not obligated to comply with the directives and pronouncements, and no one is authorized or obligated to assist in their enforcement against Plaintiffs or their interests here in the United States. Finally, it appears no action has been taken to enforce Defendant Moraes’s orders by the Brazilian government, the United States government, or any other relevant actor,” Scriven ruled.
Rumble said the ruling confirmed what it had been arguing all along.
“Justice Alexandre de Moraes’s censorship orders have no legal force in the United States. This ruling is a complete victory for free speech, digital sovereignty, and the right of American companies to operate without foreign judicial interference,” Rumble spokesperson Tim Murtaugh said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“The court explicitly ruled that Moraes’s directives were never properly served under U.S. or international law,” Rumble continued. “This means that Rumble and Trump Media are under no obligation to comply with these unlawful censorship demands, and no U.S. entity is required to enforce them.”
According to the initial lawsuit, Moraes ordered Rumble to block the account of “Political Dissident A,” or face the shutdown of Rumble in Brazil, but TMTG and Rumble argued that allegedly “spreading misinformation” and “criticizing the Supreme Court” are perfectly legal in the U.S. where Rumble operates. Truth Social says it would also be impacted because it relies partially on Rumble technology.
Scriven said the court stands ready to exercise its jurisdiction “an entity or individual seek to enforce the directives or pronouncements in the United States without compliance with applicable laws or treaties,” but in the meantime the ordeal is not ripe for judicial review.
Rumble believes Scriven made clear that if anyone attempts to enforce these orders on U.S. soil, the court is ready to intervene to protect American companies and free speech.
“The ruling sends a strong message to foreign governments that they cannot bypass U.S. law to impose censorship on American platforms,” Rumble said.
“This case was never just about Rumble or Trump Media—it was about stopping foreign judges from trying to silence speech in America,” it added. “Rumble and Trump Media will continue to fight for free speech, and today’s ruling is a major victory in that battle.”
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Moraes declined a request for comment.
Rumble’s U.S. counsel, Martin De Luca and Matthew Schwartz, issues the following statement to Fox News Digital: “The court’s decision today denied the TRO for being unnecessary because it determined that Moraes’s orders are invalid and unenforceable in the United States. Therefore, there is no need to restrain invalid orders. Of course, if Moraes takes any steps to try to enforce his illegal orders on U.S. soil, we can return to the judge to grant a TRO.”