Biden Judge Blocks FTC Investigation Into Media Matters

Media Matters for America, a media watchdog, Friday won a preliminary injunction from a federal court in Washington, D.C., blocking a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigation. 

The FTC had issued a civil investigative demand (CID) on May 20, 2025, requesting extensive documents related to Media Matters’ reporting practices, editorial methods, finances, and communications, particularly tied to a 2023 article highlighting corporate ads appearing alongside pro-Nazi content on X, the social media platform controlled by Elon Musk.

U.S. District Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan, a Biden appointee, ruled that the FTC’s probe likely violated the First Amendment, describing it as a “straightforward First Amendment violation” due to its retaliatory nature against Media Matters’ constitutionally protected speech. 

The court found that the CID was overly broad, targeting sensitive areas like newsgathering and editorial processes, and was likely motivated by retaliatory animus, as evidenced by statements from FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson and the timing of the investigation. The injunction halts the FTC’s demand while Media Matters’ lawsuit, filed on June 23, 2025, against the FTC, its chairman, and four commissioners, is considered.

ThE ruling marks the third time a federal court has intervened to protect Media Matters from what it describes as a campaign of retaliation by Musk and his allies, including prior blocked investigations by Republican attorneys general in Texas and Missouri. The organization argued that the FTC’s actions chilled its reporting, disrupted fundraising, and strained partnerships, reinforcing claims of targeted harassment following its critical reporting on X.