On Wednesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called for a special legislative session that will focus on, among other things, "legislation safeguarding the freedom of speech by protecting social-media users from being censored by social media companies based on the user's expressed viewpoints."
The special session will begin July 8, and will also cover a conservative wishlist of policies, including new funding for border security, as well as restrictions on "abortion-inducing drugs" and transgender athletes' ability to compete in the University Interscholastic League.
The social media directive from the Texas governor follows Florida's recent attempt to make it possible for Florida residents to sue social media companies for "censorship, deplatforming, and shadow banning." A judge blocked that law, stating that, "Balancing the exchange of ideas among private speakers is not a legitimate governmental interest."
If Texas does end up passing legislation aimed at restricting social media companies' ability to moderate their platforms, it would almost certainly meet the same fate.
Former President Donald Trump is also expected to sue Facebook and Twitter Wednesday over their decisions to ban his accounts. Those suits are also likely to be dismissed, given the broad protections Facebook and Twitter have under Section 230.