President Donald Trump just lost a “major” First Amendment case – again. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals just upheld a lower court ruling that found President Donald Trump – or any president – cannot block users on social media platforms.
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,” the judges wrote, as The Hill reports.
The judges say they “conclude that once the President has chosen a platform and opened up its interactive space to millions of users and participants, he may not selectively exclude those whose views he disagrees with.”
The Trump administration claimed that because the president is using his personal Twitter account he can block anyone he wants.
“The fact that any Twitter user can block another account does not mean that the President somehow becomes a private person when he does so,” the ruling says.
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