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Elon #Musk’s #judge-#shopping attempt to get back at advertisers has #failed.

The CEO of X (formerly Twitter) is trying to sue a coalition of advertisers who he claims conspired against the social networking site by refusing to buy advertisements.

Reed #OConnor, a federal judge in the northern district of Texas, #recused himself from the lawsuit Tuesday after NPR reported that he owns stock in #Tesla, another one of Musk’s companies.

Musk appears to have chosen the northern district because it is a favorite of conservatives,
as almost all of its judges have been appointed by Republicans,
even though the case has little, if anything, to do with #Texas.

O’Connor has a reputation for giving the right the rulings they are looking for.

For example, he has repeatedly tried to gut or eliminate the #Affordable #Care #Act,
popularly known as Obamacare,
even going after HIV drugs and cancer screenings.

NPR’s report found that O’Connor owns between $15,001 and $50,000 worth of Tesla stock,
which gives the appearance of a #conflict #of #interest and ultimately seems to have led to O’Connor’s recusal.

But while that will delay the advertiser lawsuit, O’Connor is still presiding over a different Musk lawsuit against #Media #Matters, filed in November,
accusing the liberal media watchdog of defaming X by pointing out the rise in #hate #speech on the site.

https://newrepublic.com/post/184851/elon-musk-loses-judge-lawsuit-x-twitter-advertisers