For Meta, the renewed battle comes at a time when most tech companies are walking a tightrope to avoid any potential retaliation from Trump, and not just from social platforms. After defeating the FTC last fall, Meta's chief legal officer, Jennifer Newstead, did not take aim at the FTC, but coolly celebrated the ruling as she acknowledged that “Meta faces stiff competition.” In the same breath, Newstead also seemed to want to take the opportunity to remind the Trump administration that Meta was a friend.
“Our products benefit people and businesses and are an example of American innovation and economic growth,” said Newstead. “We look forward to continuing to work with the administration and invest in America.”
Similarly, Meta provided a fairly neutral response to the FTC's announcement this week. Asked for comment on the FTC's decision to appeal, Meta's spokesperson simply told Ars that James Boasberg, the U.S. District Judge who sided with Meta, got it right the first time, and then repeated one of Trump's favorite refrains from tech companies.
“The court's decision to reject the FTC's arguments is correct and recognizes the intense competition we face,” the Meta spokesperson said. “We will continue to focus on innovation and investment in America.”
FTC blamed the judge for the loss
Political tensions remain at the heart of the case, and may have reached a peak after Boasberg's ruling.
In November, Simonson criticized Boasberg, telling CNBC that “the deck was always against us with Judge Boasberg, who is currently facing articles of impeachment.”
That push to oust Boasberg came from Republican lawmaker Brandon Gill, who alleged the judge was abusing his power to censor conservatives, but no action has been taken since the proposed resolution was presented to a House committee that month. Republicans, including Trump's Attorney General Pam Bondi, have complained that Boasberg is a rogue partisan judge, but Boasberg has so far weathered their attacks while continuing to settle cases. Trump's Truth Social rants against the judge required a lengthy fact-finding effort from PBS.
