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Twitter Users Blocked By Trump Sue, Claim @realDonaldTrump Is Public Forum (arstechnica.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: A handful of Twitter users, backed by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, sued President Donald Trump on Tuesday, claiming their constitutional rights are being violated because the president has blocked them from his @realDonaldTrump handle. The suit claims that Trump's Twitter feed is a public forum and an official voice of the president. Excluding people from reading or replying to his tweets -- especially because they tweeted critical comments -- amounts to a First Amendment breach, according to the lawsuit.
"The @realDonaldTrump account is a kind of digital town hall in which the president and his aides use the tweet function to communicate news and information to the public, and members of the public use the reply function to respond to the president and his aides and exchange views with one another," according to the lawsuit (PDF) filed in New York federal court. "Defendants' viewpoint-based blocking of the Individual Plaintiffs from the @realDonaldTrump account infringes the Individual Plaintiffs' First Amendment rights. It imposes an unconstitutional restriction on their participation in a designated public forum," the suit says. "It imposes an unconstitutional restriction on their right to access statements that Defendants are otherwise making available to the public at large. It also imposes an unconstitutional restriction on their right to petition the government for redress of grievances."
"The @realDonaldTrump account is a kind of digital town hall in which the president and his aides use the tweet function to communicate news and information to the public, and members of the public use the reply function to respond to the president and his aides and exchange views with one another," according to the lawsuit (PDF) filed in New York federal court. "Defendants' viewpoint-based blocking of the Individual Plaintiffs from the @realDonaldTrump account infringes the Individual Plaintiffs' First Amendment rights. It imposes an unconstitutional restriction on their participation in a designated public forum," the suit says. "It imposes an unconstitutional restriction on their right to access statements that Defendants are otherwise making available to the public at large. It also imposes an unconstitutional restriction on their right to petition the government for redress of grievances."
Haven't read the news today, I see...
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
This lawsuit will legitimize the idea that American citizens can criticize the President without consequences. The reason they were blocked on Twitter was because they said unkind or unfavorable things about our Dear Leader. The Great Orange Clown simply cannot have that.
/s tag?)
The media is so unkind. And so unfair! And people say bad things about the president. And life is unfair!
All past presidents have had bad things said about them. Look back at the things said of Obama. Or Bill Clinton. Or Republican presidents like George W Bush, or H W Bush, or Regan. That was then. Today the Great Orange Clown should not have to abide any negative remarks, thoughts, or political cartoons. This criticism must be stopped! Waaaaah! I need to have a nap before my Twitter meltdown! Waaaaah!
(do I need to put an
I'll see your senator, and I'll raise you two judges.
Well, if hillary can run a private email service, then trump can run a personal twitter account, right?