A Washington-based advocacy group on Tuesday asked a U.S. judge to invalidate an executive order on social media companies President Donald Trump signed last week claiming it violates the First Amendment.

The Center for Democracy & Technology filed suit in U.S. District Court in Washington after Trump directed a Commerce Department agency to petition the Federal Communications Commission to write rules seeking to limit social media companies' legal protections in making content decisions. The White House declined to comment on the suit.

The center's chief executive, Alexandra Givens, said the "government cannot and should not force online intermediaries into moderating speech according to the president's whims."

(Reporting by David Shepardson, Editing by Franklin Paul)