A federal judge in Texas has blocked the auction sale of Alex Jones' Infowars to satirical news outlet The Onion, citing concerns over the bidding process and the amount of money the families of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary shooting victims would receive.

The decision, made late Tuesday night, marks a victory for Jones, whose Infowars platform was put up for sale as part of his bankruptcy proceedings. This comes after courts ordered him to pay nearly $1.5 billion for falsely claiming that the Sandy Hook shooting, which killed 20 children and six educators, was a hoax. Jones repeatedly alleged that the tragedy was staged to push for stricter gun control laws, causing immense trauma to the victims' families who testified in court about the harassment and threats they faced from his followers.

Most of the proceeds from the sale of Infowars, along with many of Jones' personal assets, were set to go to the Sandy Hook families, with some allocated to other creditors. The families had supported The Onion's bid for the platform.

After a two-day hearing in Houston, US Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez rejected the sale, expressing concerns about transparency in the auction process. This decision allows Jones to retain control of Infowars, at least for now. The Onion had planned to oust Jones and relaunch Infowars as a parody in January.

Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion's parent company, Global Tetrahedron, expressed disappointment in the ruling, stating that The Onion will continue to seek a resolution that benefits the Sandy Hook families. Lopez noted issues with the auction process but found no evidence of wrongdoing, emphasizing that all parties had tried to adhere to the rules.

The Onion's offer of $1.75 million in cash and additional incentives was outbid by First United American Companies, which bid $3.5 million. However, The Onion's offer included a pledge by the Sandy Hook families to forgo $750,000 of their auction proceeds, directing the funds to other creditors. Despite this, Lopez felt the auction outcome left significant funds unclaimed for the families.

Christopher Mattei, a lawyer representing the Sandy Hook families, expressed disappointment in the judge's ruling but reaffirmed the families' determination to hold Jones accountable. Jones, who did not attend the proceedings, celebrated the ruling on his program, calling the auction "ridiculous" and "fraudulent."

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