Facebook’s Supreme Court equivalent is set to announce its decision on whether to overturn the suspension of former President Donald Trump in weeks, it announced on Friday.
The independent Oversight Board, which has the power to overrule Facebook, is reviewing the technology giant’s January move to indefinitely suspend Trump from the social media platform.
The board typically rules on cases within 90 days of referrals. Facebook referred the ban to the board on Jan. 21.
“The Board will announce its decision on the case concerning former US President Trump’s indefinite suspension from Facebook and Instagram in the coming weeks. We extended the public comments deadline for this case, receiving 9,000+ responses,” the board said in its new statement.
“The Board’s commitment to carefully reviewing all comments has extended the case timeline, in line with the Board’s bylaws. We will share more information soon.”
Members of the public were told on Jan. 29 that they could submit comments on the suspension by Feb. 8.
Five members of the board are reviewing the case, but their decision must be signed off by a majority of the board.
Facebook initially blocked Trump from his account on Jan. 7, a day after a group that included some of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington. “We believe the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said at the time, claiming that Trump decided “to use his platform to condone rather than condemn the actions of his supporters at the Capitol building.”
