Judge blocks FTC probe into liberal media watchdog

A federal judge in Washington blocked the Federal Trade Commission from carrying out investigative demands against Media Matters for America, ruling Friday that the agency was likely violating the left-leaning media watchdog group’s First Amendment rights.

U.S. District Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan issued a preliminary injunction against the probe, finding that the FTC’s demand for documents in a civil investigation constitutes retaliation for protected speech and a “straightforward First Amendment violation.”

Media Matters sued the FTC and its commissioners in June 23 over what it called a “campaign of retribution.”