Post by phillip on Aug 21, 2020 6:35:53 GMT
Maybe he shouldn't be using Twitter for government business in this case?
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump is taking his effort to block his critics on Twitter to the Supreme Court.
The Justice Department on Thursday asked the high court to review a federal appeals court ruling that found the president's practice of blocking critics violates the First Amendment.
Trump, who now has more than 85 million Twitter followers, prompted the court battle in 2017 by blocking some of the social media company's users from following his Twitter account. Seven of them went to court, charging that he was seeking to "suppress dissent."
A federal district court ruled against the president in 2018, and a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit followed suit in 2019. Earlier this year, the full appeals court refused to rehear the case.
“These tweets are published by a public official clothed with the authority of the state using social media as a tool of governance and as an official channel of communication on an interactive public platform,” appeals court Judge Barrington Parker wrote.
The Justice Department on Thursday asked the high court to review a federal appeals court ruling that found the president's practice of blocking critics violates the First Amendment.
Trump, who now has more than 85 million Twitter followers, prompted the court battle in 2017 by blocking some of the social media company's users from following his Twitter account. Seven of them went to court, charging that he was seeking to "suppress dissent."
A federal district court ruled against the president in 2018, and a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit followed suit in 2019. Earlier this year, the full appeals court refused to rehear the case.
“These tweets are published by a public official clothed with the authority of the state using social media as a tool of governance and as an official channel of communication on an interactive public platform,” appeals court Judge Barrington Parker wrote.
