By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN | The Associated Press

A California judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit that accuses Twitter of violating the free speech rights of a leading figure in the white nationalist movement by banning his social media account.

Court records show California Superior Court Judge Harold Khan ruled in Jared Taylor’s favor during a hearing Thursday on Twitter’s request to toss out the suit.

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Taylor claims Twitter permanently suspended accounts belonging to him and hundreds of other far-right users based solely on their political views and affiliations.

According to a transcript of the hearing, the judge said Taylor’s lawsuit “goes to the heart of free speech principles that long precede our constitution.”

Taylor’s online magazine touts a philosophy that it’s “entirely normal” for whites to want to be a majority race.