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United States President Donald Trump violated the Constitution by blocking people whose views he disliked from his Twitter account, a federal appeals court ruled yesterday.
In a 3-0 decision, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said the First Amendment forbids Trump from using Twitter’s “blocking” function to limit access to his account, which has 61.8 million followers.
“The First Amendment does not permit a public official who utilizes a social media account for all manner of official purposes to exclude persons from an otherwise-open online dialogue because they expressed views with which the official disagrees,” wrote Circuit Judge Barrington Parker, citing several Supreme Court decisions.
A White House spokesman had no immediate comment. White House social media director Dan Scavino was also a defendant. “We are disappointed with the court’s decision and are exploring possible next steps,” said Kelly Laco, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Justice.
Twitter (TWTR.N) had no immediate comment.
Trump has made his @RealDonaldTrump account, which he opened in 2009, a central and controversial part of his presidency, using it to promote his agenda and to attack critics.
