It isn’t uncommon for social media users to block comments or accounts they don’t like, but for the President of the United States, it’s unacceptable.
On Tuesday, a federal appeals court decided that Donald Trump can’t block his critics on Twitter because it is a violation of the First Amendment.
In 2017, Trump allegedly blocked seven plaintiffs from the original case after they “criticized him or his policies,” revoking their ability to access or comment on his posts, according to court documents.
Tuesday’s decision revealed that “the First Amendment prohibits government discrimination against a person’s free speech,” but Trump argued that the First Amendment didn’t apply because his page was private at the time. Now, he is expected to appeal the ruling.
However, the gag is that since Trump’s Twitter account is no longer private, it is considered a “public forum,” Fox News reports. The First Amendment does not allow a public official who uses a social media account to conduct government business “to exclude people from an otherwise open online dialogue because they express different views.”
The court concluded that despite Trump’s claims, blocking Americans not only suppresses free speech but discourages the idea of debate.
“In resolving this appeal, we remind the litigants and the public that if the First Amendment means anything, it means that the best response to disfavored speech on matters of public concern is more speech, not less,” the court said.
