Wyden and Cruz Introduce Private Right of Action Against Government Coercion of Platform Speech

Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced the JAWBONE Act on June 11, 2026, enabling Americans to sue the federal government for unlawfully coercing platforms into removing protected speech. The bill also mandates disclosure of communications between agencies and content platforms. The legislation fills a procedural gap left by the Supreme Court's 2024 Murthy v. Missouri ruling, which found plaintiffs lacked standing to challenge government-platform pressure on First Amendment grounds.