Soon, cases filed against X (formerly Twitter) will come before the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

The shift was first announced last month as part of a broader set of changes to X's terms of service and privacy policy. With changes due to take effect November 15, The Washington Post spoke with several legal and tech experts about what this move might mean.

X owner Elon Musk recently relocated the social media company's headquarters from San Francisco to Bastrop, Texas — near Austin — but Bastrop falls within Texas' Western District.

The Northern District has become a haven for conservative activists interested in targeting Democratic policies; 10 of its 11 active judges were appointed by Republican presidents.

While it's typical for companies to specify in their terms of service where suits against them may be filed, choosing the Northern District of Texas was "weird" compared to the Northern District of California, where most tech companies typically prefer to be sued, said Cornell law professor G.S. Hans. That's just because the Texas district "just doesn't have as much of a volume or history" with tech lawsuits, Hans said.