---
title: "Matt Mullenweg & Free Speech"
id: "9655"
type: "post"
slug: "matt-mullenweg-free-speech"
published_at: "2024-10-23T21:24:42+00:00"
modified_at: "2024-10-23T21:34:27+00:00"
url: "https://sethgoldstein.me/matt-mullenweg-free-speech/"
markdown_url: "https://sethgoldstein.me/matt-mullenweg-free-speech.md"
excerpt: "Matt Mullenweg recently posted on his blog that his freedom of speech has been hindered by a court injunction in the lawsuit brought by WP Engine against him et. al. Ummmm, I don’t think that the court telling you to..."
taxonomy_category:
  - "WordPress"
taxonomy_post_tag:
  - "Matt Mullenweg"
  - "MattVsWPE"
  - "wordpress"
---

[WordPress](https://sethgoldstein.me/wordpress/)

# Matt Mullenweg & Free Speech

![Image](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/776e9f93cb72a6ef49cc303f0f3a5843419a07f0043cb23d64f49db44c56aeba?s=48&r=g)

Seth Goldstein

·

October 23, 2024

Sol 3598

![US Supreme Court](https://sethgoldstein.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/ffda24b3-114f-4a1c-835b-1d2e6a1c3fac.webp)

Matt Mullenweg recently posted on his blog that his freedom of speech has been hindered by a court injunction in the lawsuit brought by WP Engine against him et. al.

> [My Freedom of Speech](https://ma.tt/2024/10/first-amendment/)

Ummmm, I don’t think that the court telling you to STFU is a First Amendment issue.

![Classic quote from the Princess bride "I do not think it means what you think it means."](https://sethgoldstein.me/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/image.webp)

As I recall, after all I was a professional journalist and went to J-school for 4 years prior, the First Amendment has to do with you and having the government trying to suppress it.

*Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.*

What I can say, and I’m not a lawyer, is that Matt probably has *[libeled](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defamation)* himself and maybe it can be construed as *[actual malice](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actual_malice)*. But again, I’m just a former professional journalist who has had to learn how to not get himself sued.

I might actually be a good thing, and I’m not speaking for his lawyers here, for him to be quiet and get through this legal battle.

Another interesting First Amendment discussion is [that the Supreme Court has said that Platforms can curate speech as a First Amendment Right](https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/07/platforms-have-first-amendment-right-curate-speech-weve-long-argued-supreme-1)
. But is Matt Mullenweg, the human, a platform? And also, I do believe, it doesn’t protect against defamation.

Though, with a second read, it looks like Matt is saying that WordPress the platform’s rights have been hindered. Ugh.

*Oh the crazy web we weave.*

So put the popcorn away everyone. The show appears to be over — for now.

[Matt Mullenweg](https://sethgoldstein.me/tag/matt-mullenweg/)
, [MattVsWPE](https://sethgoldstein.me/tag/mattvswpe/)
, [wordpress](https://sethgoldstein.me/tag/wordpress/)