US Appeals Court Fines Elon Musk’s X $350,000 for Using Donald Trump’s Records

The District of Columbia Circuit of the US Court of Appeals upheld the federal trial judge’s ruling holding Twitter, now known as X, in contempt

According to a US appeals court judgment on Wednesday, the business took its time implementing a search order for the former president’s Twitter account that the US special counsel investigating Donald Trump received in January.

The federal trial judge’s decision to hold Twitter, now known as X, in contempt and punish it $350,000 (almost Rs. 3 crore), was upheld by the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Twitter sought to inform Trump about the warrant, so the business complained about the nondisclosure order in the court decision, according to the judgement.

According to the decision, when the court ultimately found Twitter in contempt and assessed a $350,000 fine, it “did not abuse its discretion.”

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According to a tweet by Trump on his social media platform Truth Social, the Justice Department “secretly attacked my Twitter account, making it a point not to let me know about this major ‘hit’ on my civil rights.”

In order to preserve their investigations, prosecutors frequently request from judges that the recipients of subpoenas in criminal cases be kept in the dark. The appeals court referenced this practice in its decision on Wednesday.

Smith’s spokesman declined to comment, while X’s spokesperson did not right away answer a request for comment.

The judge who found Twitter in contempt was not mentioned in Wednesday’s opinion.

Trump’s tweets can be viewed by everyone, but the corporation also has access to private information about accounts, including direct conversations, tweet drafts, location information, and the device used to send them.

According to the ruling, the warrant was connected to Smith’s inquiry of the circumstances surrounding the siege on the US Capitol by Trump supporters on January 6, 2021, when he was still president.

Trump, a Republican, entered a not guilty plea last week to a charge that he had planned to rig the 2020 election in order to defeat Democrat Joe Biden.

Trump is the current favorite to win the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.