Judge to Trump: Mute Don’t Block

A Trump Twitter Habit Could Be Unconstitutional

A federal judge looking for a solution before ruling on a case is suggesting that President Donald Trump mute people he does not wish to see on Twitter, rather than block them.

“Why are we here?” U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald asked both parties on Thursday. “Don’t we have a solution that serves the interests of the plaintiffs, serves the interests of the president?”

“Isn’t the answer that he just mutes the person he finds personally offensive?” she asked. “He can avoid hearing them by muting them.”

The president is being sued for blocking people on his personal @realdonaldtrump Twitter account. Trump’s attorneys argue it is his personal account but attorneys fo The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, who are suing the president, say because he uses the account to communicate with the American people it’s a violation of the First Amendment for him to prevent them from hearing him.

It’s doubtful President Trump reads many, if any, tweets sent to him. He almost never, if ever, has responded directly to a tweet.

The New York Post reports that attorneys for both sides “said they would consider Buchwald’s suggestion.” The judge will issue a ruling if both parties cannot agree to the compromise.

The case goes back to last July. Attorneys for seven plaintiffs argue as president it is unconstitutional for Trump to block people on Twitter.