The Biden administration asked the Supreme Court Thursday to pause an appeals court ruling that found key officials "coerced" Big Tech companies to conduct online censorship.

The Justice Department asked the high court to stay the injunction by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, which upheld part of a July 4 federal district court ruling that restricted several key administration officials' communication with social media companies related to content moderation practices.

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"Even if respondents had standing and some likelihood of success on the merits, the injunction entered by the lower courts is vastly overbroad," Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar wrote in a filing for a stay on behalf of Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, one of the officials whose communications was limited by the ruling.

A three-judge panel upheld key portions of a preliminary injunction against federal interference with content moderation on social media platforms on Friday. The panel unanimously agreed that Murthy, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the FBI had "coerced" or "significantly encouraged" platforms to suppress speech that officials saw as dangerous or misleading.

The 5th Circuit also held that the injunction by U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty in July was excessively broad and covered too many agencies.

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Earlier this week, the Supreme Court scheduled the case in question, Missouri v. Biden, to be considered on Oct. 6 for a writ of certiorari, meaning the justices will decide whether to grant it for oral arguments.

The lawsuit was filed last year by former Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, claiming the federal government colluded with social media companies like Twitter and Meta to suppress the freedom of speech.

This is a developing story and will be updated.