A judge has delivered a blow to California Rep. Devin Nunes in ruling that he can't sue Twitter over insults posted by a fake internet cow. In a Friday decision, Judge John Marshall of Virginia wrote that Twitter was "immune from the defamation claims" under a federal law stating social media companies aren't liable for what third parties post on their platforms, per the Los Angeles Times. A lawyer for Nunes argued Twitter was liable as it allegedly promoted the insulting tweets. But to be held liable, Twitter would've had to have helped create the content, which Republican Nunes admitted it didn't. Twitter will now be removed from the case. It proceeds with other defendants: parody account Devin Nunes' Cow; the similar Devin Nunes' Mom, which has been suspended; and Republican strategist Liz Mair.
Nunes sued all four for defamation in March 2019, alleging that attacks by Mair and the parody accounts had caused him to win his 2018 election by a smaller-than-normal margin. He demanded $250 million in damages and that Twitter reveal who was behind the anonymous accounts. The company has refused. Of the verdict, a spokesperson says Twitter "strongly believes the court made the right decision," per McClatchy. In a Wednesday statement, Mair calls Nunes' lawsuit "an assault on the First Amendment and the core American principle of free speech." She adds Nunes "took an oath to support and defend the Constitution—all of it and not just the bits he likes." Devin Nunes' Cow responded, too, per CNN. "I have some good moooos for you," @DevinCow tweeted at Nunes. "Oh, wait, it's good for me and not for you." (More Devin Nunes stories.)
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