A coalition of 48 state attorneys general filed an appeal Friday arguing that a federal judge erred in dismissing their high-profile antitrust case against Facebook.
The 99-page brief, filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, seeks to overturn Judge James E. Boasberg's decision in June to dismiss the states' lawsuit because the states waited too long to challenge the company's acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp, bought in 2012 and 2014, respectively.
In their appeal brief, the states -- including Arkansas -- argue that such limits do not apply "against sovereign States suing to protect the public interest, like the States here."
"Facebook has been a popular way to connect many Arkansans with family and friends, but no matter how well-liked this social media giant has become, it cannot be allowed to keep its competitors from entering the marketplace," Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge said in a news release. "I am continuing in the fight to stop Facebook's illegal attempts to monopolize social media that suppresses the choices that consumers should have to share information online."