A California judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit that accuses Twitter of violating the free speech rights of a leading figure in the white nationalist movement by banning his social media account.
Court records show California Superior Court Judge Harold Khan ruled in Jared Taylor's favor during a hearing Thursday on Twitter's request to toss out the suit.
Taylor claims Twitter permanently suspended accounts belonging to him and hundreds of other far-right users based solely on their political views and affiliations.
According to a transcript of the hearing, the judge said Taylor's lawsuit "goes to the heart of free speech principles that long precede our constitution."
Taylor's online magazine touts a philosophy that it's "entirely normal" for whites to want to be a majority race.
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.