A federal judge in California dismissed a lawsuit filed by former US President Donald Trump seeking to reactivate his suspended Twitter account.

The suit’s claim that Twitter “censored” Trump in violation of his free speech rights was weak, according to the judge, because the First Amendment prohibits government organisations, not private firms, from interfering with what citizens say.

“The amended complaint does not plausibly allege a First Amendment claim against Twitter,” US District Court Judge James Donato said in a ruling dismissing the lawsuit.

“The TOS (terms of service) gave Twitter contractual permission to act as it saw fit with respect to any account or content for any or no reason.”

Donato left the door open for the suit — which was filed by Trump, the American Conservative Union, and a few people who contended they were “de-platformed” — to be modified and refiled.

The suit names Twitter and its former chief Jack Dorsey as defendants, and sought cash damages as well as an order to have the suspended accounts immediately reinstated.

Twitter permanently suspended Trump’s account two days after his speech at a January 6, 2021 “Stop the Steal” rally inflamed a mob that later laid siege to the Capitol as lawmakers were certifying President Joe Biden’s victory.

Trump was booted from Twitter “due to the risk of further incitement of violence” being caused by his tweets, the service said at the time.

Elon Musk, the billionaire, is in the process of buying Twitter and has promised to keep content moderation to a bare minimum.

The agreement positions Musk to reconsider Trump’s travel ban, a decision that may roil US politics as the country approaches the November midterm elections and a possible Trump re-election effort in 2024.