Court Dismisses Laura Loomer's Complaints Against Florida Muslim Advocacy Group UPDATED

Update, November 20: A federal judge in the Southern District of Florida has dismissed a lawsuit from alt-right commentator Laura Loomer against the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

Loomer had claimed CAIR worked behind the scenes to have her banned from Twitter. In a court order filed yesterday, U.S. District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz wrote that even if that were true, Loomer's argument that this interfered with her ability to do business was "nonsensical."

Moreover, Ruiz stated that under the Communications Decency Act, Twitter "cannot be held liable for its decision to exercise traditional editorial functions, such as moderating content on its platform."

A federal judge has dismissed complaints against a Florida Muslim advocacy group filed by Laura Loomer, the conservative conspiracy theorist with a history of Islamophobic comments who's now running for Congress.

Loomer, the self-proclaimed "most banned woman in the world," filed the suit after she was banned from Twitter in November 2018 for attacking the faith of Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress. Loomer's lawsuit claimed Florida's Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and its national headquarters in Washington, D.C., forced Twitter to remove her account from the social media site.
In his decision, U.S. District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz cited the fact that Loomer offered no proof of any wrongdoing by CAIR.

"With no evidence that CAIR Florida acted in concert with CAIR Foundation or had anything to do with the decision to ban Loomer from Twitter, there is no dispute of fact for the Court to resolve," Ruiz wrote in a decision yesterday. "Quite simply, there is no reasonable basis to predict that a Florida court would find CAIR Florida liable for any of the wrongful acts alleged. As such, [Loomer's] allegations are insufficient to state any colorable claim against CAIR Florida."

Loomer's case against Twitter is ongoing.

CAIR Florida praised the decision. "If one reads the complaint filed by Ms. Loomer, it can't be mistaken for anything other than rantings of an individual's irrational hatred of CAIR and Muslims," Omar Saleh, CAIR Florida's civil rights attorney, said in a statement.

Loomer has a long history of targeting the Muslim community and has consistently used her platform to advertise debunked conspiracy theories about members of the Islamic faith. In the past, she has argued that all Muslims are to blame for the actions of a few terrorists, including those affiliated with the Islamic State. In 2017, she was banned from using Lyft and Uber after calling for a segregated rideshare service that would not allow Muslim drivers. She's also been banned from Facebook, Instagram, GoFundMe, Venmo, PayPal, and Medium due to her hateful rhetoric.

Loomer also has continually criticized the immigrant community. In January, she "protested" immigration by jumping a fence to enter the private property of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's home in Napa, California. Later that month, Loomer joined a group of far-right protesters dressed as racist caricatures of Mexican immigrants by scaling the wall surrounding the California Governor's Mansion in Sacramento.

In August, Loomer announced she would run for Congress in Florida's District 21, which includes parts of Palm Beach County. Her campaign raised $154,000 between July 1 and September 30, according to the Federal Election Commission. The incumbent, Rep. Lois Frankel, raised $107,000 during that same period.