Trump Blocking Critics on Twitter a First Amendment Violation, Judge Says
A public official, including the president of the United States, blocking people on Twitter due to their political views is a First Amendment violation, U.S. District Judge Naomi Buchwald of Manhattan said in a docket 17-cv-05205-NRB order Wednesday. Columbia University's…
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Knight First Amendment Institute sued the president in July on behalf of seven people blocked from the @realDonaldTrump account (see 1706060062). Buchwald, in a 75-page ruling, said the interactive space where Twitter users can engage directly with the president's tweets falls under public forum doctrines set by the Supreme Court but rejected injunctive relief. The president also has First Amendment rights to not engage with particular people, but those can't be exercised in a way that infringes on the rights of his critics, she said. The judge said the plaintiffs lack standing to sue White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and dismissed her as a defendant.