WASHINGTON — A federal agency has dropped its demand that Twitter turn over information about an anti-Trump account, according to court papers that Twitter filed on Friday.

Twitter's lawyers told a federal judge that the US Department of Justice contacted the company on Friday — one day after Twitter filed a lawsuit in federal court in California challenging the demand — to say that US Customs and Border Protection had withdrawn a summons seeking personal identifying information relating to the @ALT_USCIS account. Twitter said that as a result, it was dismissing the lawsuit.



"Because the summons has now been withdrawn, Twitter voluntary dismisses without prejudice all claims against Defendants," Twitter's lawyers wrote in Friday's filing.

Twitter sued the Trump administration on Thursday, trying to stop an attempt at forcing the company to reveal personal information about the user of the @ALT_USCIS account.

"The rights of free speech afforded Twitter’s users and Twitter itself under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution include a right to disseminate such anonymous or pseudonymous political speech," the lawsuit argued.

Filed in federal court in California, the lawsuit sought a court order stopping the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) from using its summons authority to demand Twitter turn over personal identifying information relating to the account, identified on Twitter as an "immigration resistance" account and "[n]ot the views of DHS or USCIS."

Asked for comment on the lawsuit, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Jenny Berke wrote, "As a matter of policy, we do not comment on pending litigation."



In a letter sent Friday to the CBP, Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon said he was "gravely alarmed" by the government's demand that Twitter turn over the account information. Sen. Wyden called on CBP Acting Commissioner Kevin McAleenan to investigate the circumstances that led to the summons, including finding out whether officials in the Trump administration outside of the CBP were involved.

The lawsuit alleged that the request violates the First Amendment, is not authorized under the relevant summons law, violates the Administrative Procedure Act.