Amazon won’t be forced to immediately restore web service to Parler after a federal judge ruled Thursday against a plea to reinstate the fast-growing social media app favored by followers of former President Donald Trump.
U.S. District Judge Barbara Rothstein in Seattle said she wasn’t dismissing Parler’s “substantive underlying claims” against Amazon but said it fell short in demonstrating the need for an injunction forcing it back online.
Amazon kicked Parler off its web-hosting service last week, and in court filings said the suspension was a “last resort” to block it from harboring violent plans to disrupt the presidential transition. Amazon claimed Parler committed a breach of contract.
Amazon Web Services said Parler did not do enough to remove instances of incitement from its platform following the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, violating AWS's policies.
Parler sued, claiming Amazon's crackdown was driven by "political animus" and was an example of the tech company attempting to stop a competitor.
Parler had become popular with loyalists of former President Donald Trump and groups on the far-right because the platform had a relatively hands-off approach to moderation.