atalantapendrag:
President Trump’s decision to block his Twitter followers for their
political views is a violation of the First Amendment, a federal judge
ruled Wednesday, saying that Trump’s effort to silence his critics is
not permissible under the U.S. Constitution because the digital space in
which he engages with constituents is a public forum.
The ruling
rejects administration arguments that the First Amendment does not
apply to Trump in this case because he was acting as a private
individual. In a 75-page decision, Judge Naomi Buchwald said Trump, as a
federal official, is not exempt from constitutional obligations
to refrain from “viewpoint discrimination.”
“No
government official — including the President — is above the law,” wrote
Buchwald for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New
York.
Under the ruling, Buchwald did not order
Trump to unblock his followers, saying that a finding that clarifies the
law is sufficient to resolve the dispute. Should Trump ignore the
ruling, analysts say, future litigation could force Twitter to unblock
Trump’s followers unilaterally.
Trump violated the Constitution when he blocked his critics on Twitter, a federal judge rules
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