The Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Elon Musk’s social media company, X, regarding prosecutors obtaining data from Donald Trump’s Twitter account without notifying him. The case stemmed from a special counsel’s investigation into Trump for alleged election interference, which the Supreme Court previously ruled he was immune from. X’s lawyers argued that individuals should be made aware if their data is being handed over to the government to protect free speech rights. The government sought a warrant under the Stored Communications Act, with a nondisclosure order, to prevent evidence tampering. X initially resisted but ultimately complied after civil penalties. The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the decision. During the litigation, it was agreed that Trump could be notified about the warrant. Trump was not directly involved in the case, and his ability to protect the material in question due to his role as president was limited by the nondisclosure order. The Supreme Court’s decision leaves the ruling in favor of prosecutors in place and the data has already been obtained by the special counsel. The case highlights the issue of privacy rights and government access to data, especially in high-profile investigations.
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