When the federal government gets together with social media giants to censor critics of the government, is that free speech or censorship?

A case moving its way through the federal court system argues it’s censorship — a violation of Americans’ First Amendment right, not only to free speech but also to hear differing arguments.

A federal judge set up an “expedited discovery schedule” Friday.

The lawsuit filed by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Louisiana Attorney General Jeffrey Landry argues that when Washington tells Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube which information and people they should exclude, and the platforms follow that direction, that is government censorship.

The story begins when Phil Magness, director of education for the American Institute for Economic Research, used the freedom of information act to obtain communications between Dr. Anthony Fauci, the face of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, and Dr. Francis Collins, then head of the National Institutes of Health.